Record Growth in 2014 for Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas

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Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas

Jan 19, 2015, 03:00 ET


Fort Worth, Texas (PRWEB) January 19, 2015 -- Like the babies it serves, Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT) continues to grow and thrive. This success reflects the continuous need for pasteurized donor human milk for premature and critically ill infants. In 2014, the non-profit milk bank established in Fort Worth, Texas in 2003, experienced another consecutive year of growth with 654 approved milk donors, 441,295 ounces of donor milk processed and dispensed, 100 hospitals served and 8 new milk depots/collection sites.

Many factors must come together before life-saving donor milk can help premature and critically ill infants. There is a perpetual need for mothers to donate breastmilk their own babies don't need. This requires completing a three-tiered approval process and time spent pumping, labeling and freezing breastmilk. Donor milk is collected, logged into a sophisticated bar code system and is then pasteurized and tested for bacteria before packaging and shipment. The majority of milk is delivered to hospital NICUs by physician prescription. A smaller percentage nourishes critically ill infants at home.

"We witness our mission of helping babies in motion each day, seeing donor milk in various stages before packaging," says Shaina Starks, Director of Operations for MMBNT. She adds, "More milk coming in each year means we can help more and more babies."

Collecting donor milk for pasteurization at Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas is accomplished in many ways, most commonly through collection sites called milk depots. Of 37 current depots, eight were added in 2014:

Alabama
Mothers' Milk Bank of Alabama, Birmingham

Arkansas
Freedom Chiropractic Clinic, Hot Springs
Independence County Health Unit, Batesville
Van Buren County Health Unit, Clinton

Texas
Texas Health Cleburne
Texas Health Kaufman
University Medical Center, Lubbock

Mississippi
Mississippi Mothers' Milk Bank, Flowood

ABOUT MOTHERS' MILK BANK OF NORTH TEXAS
Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas (MMBNT) is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 to provide premature and critically ill infants with pasteurized donor human milk when their own mother's milk is not available. To learn more about milk banking or to become a milk donor, call 817.810.0071 or toll free 1.866.810.0071 or visit http://www.texasmilkbank.org.

Amy Trotter, Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas, +1 817-946-9381, [email protected]