Doula Blog
All about Pregnancy, Birth, & Postpartum
September's Blog Post features a guest writer! Jan Mallak was my doula trainer and has a passion for teaching others about the health benefits of breast milk and the donation process for mothers and babies in need. This post is geared towards doula's learning about the importance of education their clients on milk donation, however all people can learn about the process and share the knowledge to help more babies by spreading the word!
This month we are celebrating the mothers who have devoted time and energy to donate their extra breastmilk to a milk bank! Milk banks provide donated breast milk to babies in need. It is truly a gift so thank you! If you are a mother who breastfeeds and has extra supply in your fridge or freezer, consider donating to your local milk bank Human Milk Banking By: Jan Mallak As doulas, we are expected to offer physical, emotional, spiritual, mediatorial and informational support. Part of informational support is providing childbearing related resources to your clients. Doulas can become “connectors” in the birthing community because of the many relationships they develop with complimentary maternity care providers. So, Resource Lists are often complied by doulas to give to clients, colleagues, and staff. Educating those we encounter is a great way to make them aware of the many options available to families. Perinatal listings of local resources can benefit the mother before, during and after her birth experience. So, the list should include everything from prenatal exercise to breastfeeding assistance (and many in between). One of the several resources you should include is Human Milk Bank information. Western Pennsylvania is very fortunate to have the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank (located at 3127 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15201 phone 412/281-4400). I say fortunate because there are only 31 accredited human milk banks recognized by HMBANA in Canada and the United States. The Three Rivers Mothers’ Milk Bank opened in 2016 after 2 years of finding a location, doing necessary construction, securing a Board of Directors, hiring/training staff, purchasing the required items for collection/storage/processing/shipping/etc., connecting with all the health care providers/centers, raising substantial funds to support the project and meeting international (HMBANA), state (PA) and city (Pittsburgh) legal/organizational requirements. The name was later changed to the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank because of the expanded regions of service. I had the honor of being involved with the MAMMB from the very beginning. One of my doula clients (Denise O’Connor) decided to initiate the vision of having a milk bank in Pittsburgh. She approached me to be on the founding Board of Directors and I accepted. After all, how could I refuse when she asked me if I wanted to help save babies lives? So, I became the first Executive Board Treasurer. Of course, being on the Board included many other volunteer duties. During my 6 years of serving, I also coordinated the first conference hosted by the Milk Bank, developed/implemented/facilitated Lost & Found (perinatal loss support group formed to help bereaved donors) and wrote a children’s book called An Ounce of Sharing … at the Milk Bank. The book is about Lizzie who just became a big sister. It takes the reader on a tour of a typical milk bank through her eyes. It explains processing and distribution of milk from donor to recipient. And Lizzie also learns that helping others, especially fragile babies, makes her feel happy. It is given to all donors as a thank you gift and serves as an educational tool for schools/libraries/hospitals/doctors’ offices/etc. The book’s “for parents and professionals” section has recently been updated so other milk banks can purchase it from the MAMMB. It can also be bought on the Mascot Book website (mascotbooks.com) and Amazon. All the profits made by the sale of the book are my personal gift back to the Milk Bank. If there is a milk bank near you, try and go for a tour. The staff can show you the frozen milk that is received, defrosted, processed, and refrozen for distribution. Seeing the laboratory conditions, the testing utilized to ensure a safe product and the organized manner of delivery to hospitals or individual patients is quite impressive and educational. Donor milk is distributed by prescription or hospital order only. Donated milk can be dropped off at the milk bank/depots or shipped free of charge. The processed milk is available for pick up or overnight delivery. In general, these are the steps for donation and milk processing: 1. Donors must be healthy mothers who make milk beyond their needs. They must go through a screening process that includes a phone interview by staff, completion of a medical history form, a statement of health from both the mother’s and baby’s doctors and blood testing. 2. Once the donor is approved, her milk arrives at the milk bank frozen in bags or bottles. 3. Before processing, the milk is thawed in a refrigerator. 4. The thawed milk (sometimes from several donors) is mixed and bottled. 5. The bottles are placed in a warm bath pasteurization unit. All HMBANA milk banks use the Holder Method of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. This eliminates pathogens while maintaining as much of the bioactivity as possible. 6. After completion, bottles are cooled and labeled. 7. A random bottle from each batch is cultured for bacteria. 8. Milk analysis and drug testing can also be done if the milk bank has those capabilities. 9. Processed milk is stored and shipped frozen. 10. Expired milk cannot be used for recipients. The expiration date on donated milk is one year after pumping if stored in a freestanding freezer. Less if stored in a freezer/refrigerator combination. But expired milk can be used for research. In fact, the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank has a BioLab on site for just that reason. Most donor milk is used by infants in the NICU at hospitals. In the U.S., one in nine infants are born prematurely. Up to 12% of significantly premature babies can develop an inflammation of the intestines called NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis) and half of these babies require surgery. The use of human milk can dramatically reduce these numbers … incidence of NEC by 80% and need for surgery by 90%. Nearly 70% of mothers of preterm infants cannot provide enough milk for their baby’s initial needs. So, the “bridge milk” provided by milk banks can be used until the mothers can establish a good milk supply. Then, the baby can transition from the bottle to her breasts by discharge. What can you do as a doula to support milk banking? Be able to describe basic milk banking procedures. Provide educational materials to your clients about milk banks. Inform other birth professionals about milk banks. Encourage and support your client’s decision to donate. If needed, connect your client with a milk bank for an inpatient or outpatient reason. Be mindful of maternity/lactation related legislation that may be pending in your state. And celebrate World Breastmilk Donation Day on May 19th in a special manner. You will be helping to save babies’ lives in these ways. And that is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a doula!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
May 2023
Tip:To see the blog posts from each month, click the links above under Archives. |