Many people have donated blood or received a blood donation. A University of Iowa Health Care program uses the same principle to help premature infants get something they really need - breast milk.
The Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa serves hospitalized infants at University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City. But the ultimate goal is to help all premature babies in Iowa.
Providing breast milk is the best way to help premature infants get the nutrition they need. Research shows breast milk has antibodies and other substances that also protect babies against disease and infection. But these 'preemies' are so tiny, they're usually unable to take milk directly from their mothers, which can slow or even stop the flow of their mother's breast milk. Nutritionists say that's why donated breast milk is so important.
"Milk is so valuable to premature babies, and by donating, women who have extra milk can make a big difference to a premature baby who would otherwise have to be fed formula," says Ekhard Ziegler, M.D., Milk Bank co-founder and medical director. "They can give to other babies what they're already giving to their own baby."
The Mother's Milk Bank at University of Iowa Children's Hospital is the first of its kind in the midwest and one of only a handful in the nation providing donated breast milk to infants in need. All the milk collected is pasteurized and then frozen until prescribed by a physician for an infant. But the process all starts with the women who donate.
"They're such a special group of women," says Jean Drulis, Milk Bank co-founder and director. "They just want to give. They realize the value of breast milk for their own babies, and they have extra. So they want to be able to put it to good use, and they are."
The donated breast milk helps about 200 premature infants each year at University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Nutritionists hope to provide this service to other Iowa hospitals in the near future.
In addition to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the Milk Bank has collection sites in Cedar Rapids and Davenport.
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