Florida Mother Helps Open Second Nonprofit Milk Depot in South Florida, Helping Babies in Hospitals in 10 States
Fort Lauderdale, FL (PRWEB) November 13, 2013 -- A South Florida mother and volunteer is expanding community services for breastfeeding mothers with a new nonprofit “milk depot” in Pembroke Pines. The new depot – the second in South Florida and only the fourth in the state – will help provide human milk to premature infants in hospitals across the United States.
The newest depot is located in The Natural Baby Store at Baby Sensory Place, 911 NW 209 Ave. #121 in Pembroke Pines. This milk depot, along with the state’s first milk depot located at The Gathering Place in Miami, will be serviced by the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas. Women who are currently breastfeeding infants under one year old are eligible to be screened at no charge to become human milk (aka breastmilk) donors.
“Although my son no longer needs donor human milk, I believe in the cause and want to help mothers in this region easily drop off their breastmilk here in Broward County,” says depot founder and owner of The Natural Baby Store Florencia Martinez.
Over the last 12 months, nearly 50 women have donated their excess breastmilk to the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, allowing South Florida to emerge as one of the top 5 regions in the United States with depots that collect and ship breastmilk to The Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas.
The Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas fills prescriptions written by physicians for premature and medically fragile babies who need the life-giving and sustaining nutrition of donor human milk to thrive. Florida, one of the 10 states served by the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, has six hospitals that currently prescribe and dispense donor human milk to premature infants in the NICU. This includes South Florida’s Joe DiMaggio’s Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, FL.
“The generosity of mothers who donate their excess breastmilk lets us feed the most fragile babies, primarily premature infants and those with life-threatening conditions or allergies, safely and compassionately,” said Amy Vickers, Executive Director of the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas.
Nonprofit milk banks including the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas ensure donor human milk is safe and available to the infants who need it most. The pasteurized breast milk dispensed is specifically processed to meet the specific needs of fragile and sick babies, serving babies with the greatest medical needs, regardless of family’s ability to pay.
The Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas currently has 565 women donating their surplus breastmilk, but estimates it needs more than 650 donor mothers to meet this year’s projected demand from hospital NICUs for the life-saving nutrition. Therefore, another 85 or more volunteer milk donors are needed to meet the demand and fill all orders received from neonatologists. To learn more about milk banking or become a milk donor, please visit http://www.texasmilkbank.org/.
About the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas
The Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT) is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 to provide premature and critically ill infants with donor human milk when their own mother's milk is not available. To donate breastmilk, please email moms(at)texasmilkbank(dot)org or call 817.810.0071 or toll-free 1.866.810.0071. Learn more about milk banking at http://www.texasmilkbank.org.
About The Natural Baby Store
Open since October 2013, The Natural Baby Store sells baby carriers, glass bottles, cloth diapers, wooden toys, and, chemical-free products and natural skin solutions for babies. The store is located inside Baby Sensory Place, owned by Luisa Vesga. Learn more about the two moms who created a South Florida storefront filled with classes and natural products at https://www.facebook.com/naturalbabystore.
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Laura Bond Williams, (512) 497-8035, [email protected]
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