Human Milk Banks

[Tina Allen | Liddle Kidz]

I received the article below in my Monday Morning Report from First 5 LA.

What do you think of the idea of human milk banks?

Banked Breast Milk: Giving Babies Liquid Gold



A woman's breast milk has a unique composition of nutrients, enzymes, growth factors, hormones, and immunological and anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the risk of a wide range of illnesses for a child well beyond infancy. Essentially, it is like "liquid gold" for a growing baby.

But not all women can breastfeed their children, often because of their own illness or the illness of their baby. To help in situations like these, organizations like Prolacta Bioscience or the San Jose Milk Bank step in. Created to give babies access to breast milk who may not otherwise have it, these agencies keep a stock of pasteurized human milk that has been donated by lactating mothers who produce more milk than they need for their own child.

Donor mothers are screened for health behaviors and communicable diseases in the same manner as blood donors. When the mother's milk arrives at the milk bank it is pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses. After a sample has been cultured and shows no bacterial growth, the milk is dispensed.

"Direct breastfeeding is the preferred method of providing optimal infant nutrition," said Karen Peters, executive director of the Breastfeeding Task Force of Greater Los Angeles. "When that is not possible, then mother's own expressed breast milk is the second choice. The third choice is pasteurized human donor milk available from human milk banks."

Older children and adults sometimes also receive human donor milk to treat digestive and immunologic diseases such as Chron's disease. In many ways human milk banks provide a valuable service for families who may not otherwise be able to get breast milk.

[Stephanie]

I think this is great! I totally agree that "In many ways human milk banks provide a valuable service for families who may not otherwise be able to get breast milk."

[amyhart]

I had never heard of this before. It's pretty interesting and seems to make sense if you got make your own milk for your baby. I think I would do it if I needed too.