MILK DEPOT

The Importance of our Milk Depot 

Pasteurized donor human milk is an important nutritional therapy for many at-risk Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) babies, as it provides numerous benefits in the absence of the mother’s milk, including infection-fighting factors, active growth and development hormones, improved digestion and ideal nutrition. While The Richland Hospital, Inc. supports breastfeeding whenever possible, donor milk can be used when the mother has a low milk supply, is ill or on certain medications, or in cases of adoption or surrogacy.

How Milk is Collected

The milk depot at The Richland Hospital, Inc. collects human milk donations from healthy, lactating women who are approved donors through Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. The donations are then sent to the milk bank, where they are pasteurized to eliminate any viruses and bacteria. After pasteurization, the milk is tested once again for safety and distributed to hospitals.

“Rigorous safety protocols ensure that pasteurized donor human milk is safe when it’s provided from a milk bank that adheres to guidelines from the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. Potential donors are blood tested and thoroughly screened for communicable diseases, activities that increase the risk of blood borne diseases, and the use of tobacco, alcohol, and medications,” says Summer Kelly, Executive Director of Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. “Milk collected from Richland Hospital’s milk depot will help support the complex nutritional needs of sick and premature babies in Illinois and Wisconsin.”

Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes

Donor Requirements

Milk donors are healthy lactating women who have extra milk and want to help other babies in need. Milk donors:

• Plan to donate at least 100 ounces to the milk bank.
• Store milk in clean, food grade containers.
• Donate milk that has been stored for less than 1 year in a deep freezer or 6 months in a standard freezer.
• Donate milk that was pumped before their baby’s second birthday.
• Contact the milk bank if there are any changes in health status or when taking new medications.
• Donation requirements differ for mothers who donate after infant loss. Please contact DeAnna Caspers.

For more information, questions or concerns, please contact:

DeAnna Caspers
Richland Hospital Nurse Manager
333 East Second Street
Richland Center, WI 53581
608 647-6321 ext. 2307