Breast milk depots are expanding in Wisconsin, helping a milk bank near Chicago supply birth centers in Madison and elsewhere with pasteurized milk for fragile babies whose mothers don’t have adequate supply.
Meanwhile, a raw breast milk exchange aimed at healthy babies continues in Madison, and a similar program has begun in the Milwaukee area.
A donor breast milk depot opened in Dodgeville in September, and one is expected to open in Wisconsin Dells in January or February. They join depots in Cottage Grove, Mount Horeb and 19 other locations in the state, six of which opened since June, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Women who have been screened and tested can donate breast milk, which is stored at the depots in freezers. It is shipped to the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.
After the bank pasteurizes the milk and tests for bacteria, about 80% of it is sold to hospitals, including units for premature or high-risk babies at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, UnityPoint Health-Meriter and UW Hospital in Madison.
Premature babies should get pasteurized donor breast milk instead of formula if their mothers don’t have adequate supply, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Breast milk lowers rates of bloodstream infections and intestinal tissue problems, the academy said.
“People in our area can donate milk to help prevent the death of newborn babies,” said Amy Graber, the Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, director at Southwestern Community Action Program, where the Dodgeville depot is based.
The Wisconsin Dells depot will be at the Central Wisconsin Community Action Council. Depots have been operating for years at Wildwood Family Clinic in Cottage Grove and the UW Health clinic in Mount Horeb.
“The demand for our milk at our hospitals is increasing, so we are hoping to get more depots to continually meet the demand,” said Nicole Robbins, education and outreach specialist at the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, which opened in 2015 and also serves Illinois.
Donors take blood tests for hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis and a virus called HTLV, Robbins said. They can’t smoke, drink much alcohol or take many medications, and must meet other criteria.
About 80% of the milk is distributed to hospitals, mostly in neonatal intensive care units but also in special care nurseries and mother-baby units, Robbins said.
The rest of the milk is sold to mothers directly, at $18 per 4-ounce bottle, or to dispensaries, including Hoey Apothecary in Madison.
The Madison-based Mothers’ Milk Alliance has freezers at four locations where breast milk can be donated and picked up, said Ingrid Andersson, a nurse midwife who started the exchange in 2007.
There is no fee for the milk, but a donation of $100 is suggested for regular users who can afford it to help cover donor screening costs.
A similar Southeast Wisconsin Milk Share started about two years ago.
The exchanges provide “raw” breast milk, which is better for healthy babies because it has more nutrients, Andersson said. However, instructions are provided on pasteurization, which can be important for fragile babies, she said.
“The demand for our milk at our hospitals is increasing, so we are hoping to get more depots to continually meet the demand.” said Nicole Robbins, Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes
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