Plans underway to bring breast milk donation bank to metro Detroit
The benefits of breastfeeding are lengthy, from disease protection to strengthening the bond between mom and baby, but the skill may be challenging for new moms and cause them to turn to alternative feeding methods.
In Jackson, a solution has come for mothers struggling to breastfeed in the form of a breast milk donation bank at Henry Ford Hospital Jackson. The concept is simple: Moms who are producing more milk than their little one can drink donate the milk to a center where moms in need can collect for free. And now, organizers are looking to expand into metro Detroit to reach more moms and babies.
A milk donor drive, modeled in the fashion of blood donation drives, was held at the Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital on Oct. 3 to generate interest among mothers, both those looking to give and those in need, and screen potential donors. However, unlike blood drives, breast milk donation is subject to stringent examination and requires preliminary screening before donors are allowed to actually donate.
"We know that not every baby that might benefit from donor milk is receiving it right now, there's a finite amount of donor milk and so the hospitals have to kind of triage it to the babies will benefit from it the most," said Erin McGreal-Miller, manager of the Henry Ford Milk Bank Jackson. "By increasing the amount of milk that we have in the area, we're hoping to make it available to more babies and make it easier to access for them. We also hope that having the milk bank and highlighting the importance of breastfeeding, it will increase exclusive breastfeeding rates."
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The majority of infants born in the United States start out with some breast milk but by six months that rate is cut in half, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Michigan, 83.1% of infants born in 2019 received some breast milk, but only 53.7% of 6-month-old babies were breastfed. A number of barriers to breastfeeding exist for families, including the duration of breastfeeding and relying exclusively on breast milk, and disparities exist in these rates by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. These rates can be improved through policy, systems, and environmental changes like better maternity care practices and paid leave policies.
In June, the Henry Ford Milk Bank Jackson, which is only the second human donor milk bank in the state, distributed its first batch of breast milk and is now sustaining need at the Jackson hospital and surrounding area. It has since accepted 14,518 ounces of donated breast milk from approximately 50 donors.
To donate breast milk, donors must undergo a screening process to determine good health, complete blood tests (the costs of which are covered by the organization) and be breastfeeding or pumping expressed breast milk. According to the Jackson milk bank rules, donors are allowed to take a variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications and vitamins, but cannot smoke, drink alcohol daily, or take herbal supplements.
More than ensuring babies have full tummies, the milk bank serves as a support system for new moms.
"It is hard to be a mom, it really is," McGreal-Miller said. "When you really need help, and all of a sudden there is a community of moms that came together and gave you this milk and you know how hard it is to get it because you're trying, it just is so reassuring. It just feels so good."
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Milk bank organizers are continuing to bring a similar model to metro Detroit; for more information on receiving or donating, reach out to MilkBank@hfhs.org. For more information on breastfeeding and to connect with local resources, go to this website.
Contact Miriam Marini: mmarini@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Plans underway to bring breast milk donation bank to metro Detroit
