Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Milk Depot Opens in Madison

by Glenni Lorick, IBCLC

This morning a young man walked into my store and asked if I had heard about the Milk Depot opening up in Madison. I. WAS. EXCITED! I quickly learned that two of my amazing IBCLC friends, Stacy Ramirez and Elizabeth Dunaway, through Connections Breastfeeding have created the first satellite drop-off location for the Mother's Milk Bank of Alabama. 

This is an incredible step for mothers and babies in North Alabama because that brings us a step closer to increased use of breastmilk in North Alabama hospitals. All it takes for an infant to receive donated breastmilk in the hospital is a prescription from a physician, and with greater availability, we hope to see a steady rise in the use of banked human milk  in our area so that stories like this will become commonplace here! In fact, if you are a health professional interested in ordering breast milk for your patients, you can contact Katherine Wood at kwood@mmbal.org or 205-942-8911.  

The Connections Milk Bank freezer will be located at Journey Massage, 1874 Slaughter Rd, Madison, AL 35758. Drop off can be scheduled online at Journey Massage by clicking on "schedule your next appointment" and scrolling down to Connections Depot Deposit.  

Many women are truly blessed with an abundant supply of breastmilk. While some mothers share their milk with a friend, other moms really have no idea what to do with the excess milk they pump. And some mothers are really excited about the prospect of their milk being used to help a sick or premature infant! There are certain requirements for donors, but the reward of being able to donate is worth any potential hassle posed by the requirements! Mothers interested in donating at the Madison depot can download a donor packet here. 

If you have a personal story of how milk from a milk bank has helped YOUR little one, please share in the comments!