Human milk isn't just best for babies, it is life-saving for medically fragile infants.
Human milk has been proven to decrease the incidence of life-threatening newborn infections. Our purpose is to collect, process, and dispense Pasteurized Human Donor Milk (PHDM) to critical infants who would not otherwise have access to human milk. Medically fragile babies that receive human milk have decreased risks of:
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lung disease
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sepsis
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retinopathy of prematurity (common cause of blindness in preterm babies)
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Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
NEC
NEC is a leading cause of infant death, impacting thousands of babies ever year. It is a devastating intestinal disease that primarily affects babies born prematurely or with a medical complication.
Human milk is the only way found to reduce the risk of NEC.
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The CDC estimates 1 in about every 10 deaths in NICUs are because of NEC.
Human milk is unfortunately not available to every baby in need of its life-saving abilities after birth.
An estimated 60% of NICU moms are unable to breastfeed.
That is where we come in. With the service of hundreds of Tennessee moms, we are fulfilling our purpose.
"I gave birth to Karisma at 32 weeks pregnant. I understood the importance of providing breastmilk to my premature daughter. Unfortunately, I experienced delayed lactation, which is common after a preterm delivery. Karisma received donor milk in the NICU until my milk came in. After 21 days in the NICU, I was able to take my daughter home. I later became a milk donor. I felt it was important to give my extra milk to help other vulnerable babies." - Amanda
"I am a pediatrician. During my residency, I ordered donor breastmilk for babies as part of the NICU team. Breastmilk is the number one choice. I am grateful for my breastfeeding journey with my milk monster, Warren, and a body that has allowed me to have such sweet bonding memories with my babies. I encourage mamas who are looking for a way to literally give part of yourself to a beautiful cause to look into becoming a milk bank donor."
- Aileen G. Litwin, MD
"I was planning to breastfeed him and wanted breast milk for him while he was in the NICU, but I hadn’t started producing yet. I was getting pretty discouraged when a nurse told me, ‘You know we have a milk bank that we can give him donor milk from.’ I was elated!
After my milk finally came in, I was not only able to feed my baby, but I also was an over producer. I realized that I had an opportunity to give back to the same organization that helped save my little one. This organization doesn’t just save babies, but it gives hope to worried mamas as well." - Micah.