Texas Children’s Mothers’ Milk Bank recently held its second annual appreciation luncheon to honor mothers who have generously donated the lifesaving gift of breast milk. Together, they contributed 444 gallons of breast milk to our Milk Bank, resulting in more than 56,802 feedings in 2014.
This remarkable feat would not have been accomplished without the generous support of our milk donors, many of whom are Texas Children’s and Baylor College of Medicine employees. Mothers of critically ill infants in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Texas Children’s Newborn Center depend on pasteurized donor breast milk to supplement their own milk supply if they are unable to produce enough milk for their baby.
Texas Children’s Chief of Neonatology Dr. Stephen Welty, Neonatal Nutrition Director Dr. Amy Hair and Dr. Jennifer Arnold congratulated our milk donors for their selfless act of kindness at the luncheon, which was funded by Bad Pants, a long-time supporter of our Newborn Center.
“Every ounce of donor breast milk improves outcomes for our NICU babies,” Hair said. “Mothers who donate their excess supply to our milk bank ensure our tiniest, most vulnerable patients receive a constant supply of nourishment and protection to stay healthy.”
Unlike formula, human milk contains antibodies that protect babies against bacterial infections and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening neonatal condition that causes intestinal inflammation. Since the Newborn Center implemented its exclusive human milk feeding protocol in 2009, NEC rates in our NICU have dropped by 77 percent.
This year, the Milk Bank celebrated its fourth year of operation, and is working hard to ensure enough pasteurized donor breast milk is available to feed the more than 2,000 NICU babies treated at the Newborn Center each year.
“Our milk donors are life savers,” Texas Children’s donation coordinator Laurel Laviolette said. “The amount of breast milk collected last year exemplifies our milk donors’ commitment to promoting the health of our NICU patients.”
For more information on how to become a Texas Children’s milk donor, click here.