Milk Depot promotes healthy start for newborns

As National Breastfeeding Week begins on Monday, August 1, the Franciscan Heath Family Birth Center is proud to be the home of the only human milk depot in Chicago’s Southland.

Pasteurized donor human milk is an important nutritional therapy for many at-risk Special Care Nursery babies. It offers numerous benefits in the absence of mother’s milk, including infection-fighting, active growth and development hormones, improved digestion and better nutrition. While the Family Birth Center supports breastfeeding whenever possible, donor milk can be used when the mother has a low milk supply, is ill, is taking certain medications, or in cases of adoption or surrogacy.

“We support breastfeeding as the healthiest choice of nutrition for all of our newborns, especially in light of the recent shortage of baby formula,” said Franciscan Health certified lactation consultant Ann Mitchell, RN, IBCLC. “Being a milk depot site supports being able to provide human donor milk for the most fragile of our newborns.”

As a result of its support for breastfeeding, the Franciscan Health Family Birth Center has earned the prestigious international Baby-Friendly Designation after a rigorous review process conducted by Baby-Friendly USA.

Earning the Baby-Friendly Designation demonstrates that the Family Birth Center staff is trained in implementing breastfeeding policies, assists mothers and families with breastfeeding techniques, informs expectant mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding, provides breast milk from the Milk Depot if mothers are separated from their babies, and offers breastfeeding education and support.

The Franciscan Health Family Birth Center offers a free Breastfeeding Virtual Support Group on the first Wednesday of every month at 2:00 pm. To register, call 708-852-2615, or email ann.mitchell@franciscanalliance.org.

“Human breast milk is like medicine to our most fragile infants,” said Mitchell.” Providing Southland babies with donated breast milk is consistent with evidence that human breast milk promotes the health and growth of infants born with low birth weights or other illnesses.”

All donations to the Franciscan Health Milk Depot are made through its partner, the Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. Those interested in becoming a donor may contact the Mother’s Milk Bank at www.milkbankwgl.org or by calling 847-262-5134 to begin the screening process.

Submitted by Robyn Ali, Marketing Specialist, Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Marketing and Public Relations Department robyn.ali@franciscanalliance.org