Did you know the Texas Children’s Milk Bank is a state-of-the-art collection, labeling, refrigeration and dispensing center and one of only a few facilities of its kind in Houston? Dosing close to 500,000 human milk feedings every year with over 55,000 patient encounters, they serve some of our tiniest and most critical patients.
With a primary focus on storing milk for mothers expressing for their hospitalized infants, the Milk Bank creates a safe and well-maintained place for families to store milk for their babies, helping to eliminate one added stressor from an already challenging situation.
In addition to storing up to 20,000 containers of breast milk, the Milk Bank also adapts milk for babies with complex medical needs. Using an infrared spectrometer, technicians can analyze just a few milliliters of mother’s milk. The machine then reads out the fat, carbohydrates, protein and total calories in those drops and the team can make recommendations on which nutrients to add to best meet the needs of infant.
The Milk Bank also utilizes a centrifuge. This machine helps the technicians skim the milk down for babies with special conditions or who have just undergone heart surgery. They can then add the necessary components back, all while allowing the infant to continue a diet of their mother’s milk.
Lactation team helps mothers all over the system
The Lactation team works to support mothers at the Pavilion for Women and anywhere else an infant receiving breast milk may need support. Texas Children’s proudly employs one of the largest teams in the country, available 24/7 in the Medical Center. The team offers both outpatient services and free virtual breastfeeding support groups.
In recognition of National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, the Lactation and Milk Bank teams hosted events across the system including a Pump-a-Thon in the Medical Center NICU, tables with games and prizes and snacks and goodie bags for lactating moms.
The work done by these departments changes of the lives of infants and families at Texas Children’s. Helping mothers breastfeed their babies or fortify their milk to keep their infants on a breastmilk diet can make a lifechanging difference. Thank you to all our certified lactation specialists, nurses and Milk Bank technicians!
