MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – It’s a need that is often overlooked.
A total of 80% of babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will need milk in addition to their mother’s milk, and that’s when the generosity of donor milk steps in.
“So it’s a very rough estimate but we like to say one bag of pumped milk which is about 4 to 6 oz can feed a pre-mature baby for a full 24 hours,” said Alison Wolf, who is the Executive Director at the University of California Health Milk Bank. “There is love in every drop and it can help save a premature baby.”
This week, a milk drive and resource fair were held by Madera County Public Health and the University of California Health Milk Bank to raise awareness of the importance of donor breast milk for premature babies.
“We do know that premature babies born less than 32 weeks if they are given only human milk, they are protected against a devastating bowel disease called necrotizing enterocolitis,” Wolf said.
Breast milk provides protection and nutrients that formula can not, that’s why events like these are crucial.
“We have a really big need here in the Central Valley, we have a large Hispanic population, and in Fresno County are sister county we have a large black population,” said Sylvia Stratford, who is a public health nurse in Madera. “Hispanics and blacks have an increased risk that white babies do not have, and the mortality rate is three times higher for black infants.”
A milk bank is similar to a blood bank, the donors are screened before making a breast milk donation.
It’s a safe process operating under the Human Milk Banking Association of North America created 50 years ago.
“There has never been a case of a baby contracting any sort of illness through pasteurized donor milk from an HMBANA facility,” Wolf said. “We have very strict guidelines, the mothers are tested and screened, the milk is tested and screened, heat pasteurized, there’s a lot of safety steps that go into making sure that milk is safe.”
It’s a fairly easy process, donors go online to answer a questionnaire, sign consent, and then have a phone interview.
From there, blood work is collected, and cooler boxes are sent right to the donor’s home with pre-paid FedEx labels.
For any mom about to dump out her extra milk, the milk bank has this message.
“Don’t do it, don’t do it, go online you can register, we have flyers out, you can come and visit but we accept virtual donations,” Stratford said.
During events like these, it’s not necessarily the amount of milk they receive, it’s about spreading the message that milk is medicine, and it can help make a difference.
To become a donor, click here.
