Mothers’ Milk Bank News & Information

By Monica Cravotta  |  Published: Sunday, March 21, 2010

Austin readers, please join me in cheering on the work of this critically valuable organization for our community’s babies and beyond!

The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin is celebrating their new digs this week with a house-warming party on Thursday evening, March 25th,  from 5 – 7:00 pm. Hors d’oeuvres and wine will be served.

Their new facility features three state-of-the-art pasteurizing labs, a drive-thru Milk Drop for milk donors, a meeting room where groups can gather, and expanded office space for staff.

New Address: 2911 Medical Arts St., Suite 12 (in Medical Arts Square), Austin, TX 78705

For those of you that read Attachment Mama from out-of-state, and a few that are even reading now from Canada, Ireland and Australia, I’m sorry you won’t be able to join our Milk Bank celebration — but I think you might appreciate this post anyway because of the interesting information to be gleaned about milk banks in general.

Since choosing the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin (MMBA) as our beneficiary for the Sweet Songs children’s album (due out Mother’s Day – stay tuned for details!), I continue to learn more about milk banking’s life-saving service.  The following information and attached photos come straight from the MMBA rock star communications and development team.

Did you know? (I did not)

It is standard practice for hospital neonatologists to strongly encourage mothers of preemies to breastfeed or express their milk for tube-feeding their very small babies, but fewer than half of mothers of premature infants are able to do so. The Milk Bank provides safe donor human milk to preterm and ill infants in the hospital and to sick babies at home.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin is a non-profit organization whose mission is to accept, pasteurize, and dispense donor human milk by physician prescription, primarily to premature and ill infants. These babies are more likely to acquire life-threatening infections if fed formula instead of human milk. The most common infection, necrotizing entercolitis, can damage the intestines so severely that many babies who acquire it will die. The remainder face life-long complications. Preemies fed human milk – either their mother’s own or pasteurized donor milk – are largely protected from this devastating condition.

In addition, families that adopt newborn babies can also receive donated breast milk.

Mothers that Donate Milk

Milk bank donors are healthy, conscientious women who care about the health of babies. They are most often nursing their own infants, have an abundant milk supply, and donate their extra milk to the Milk Bank.

For this generous act they receive no payment or compensation, except the satisfaction that comes from knowing they have helped improve the health of a fragile baby.

Want to donate milk?

1. Complete a 10-15 minute phone screening.

2. Complete and return an informational packet.

3. Have a blood test done. (They pay.)

4. When they receive your paperwork and lab results, the Clinical Director calls you with your approval status.

Ready to get started with the screening process?

Austin Mamas, contact Kara White at kara@milkbank.org, 512.494.0800. or toll-free 1.877.813.MILK (6455).  Please tell her your name, phone number, best time to reach you, and your baby’s birth date.

Outside Austin Mamas, check out the Human Milk Banking Association of North America for information on your nearest milk bank.

Other cities currently with milk banks in the U.S.:  San Jose, Calif; Denver, Colo; Indianapolis, Indiana; Coralville, Iowa; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Newtonville, Mass; Raleigh, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Portland, Oregon;  and Fort Worth, Texas.

Milk on mamas!

Posted in Mother's Milk Bank | 4 Comments

Making a Children’s Album to Benefit The Mother’s Milk Bank

By Monica Cravotta  |  Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009

String's Attached White Album show Nutty Brown Cafe 06

When I was pregnant with my first daughter in 2006 my husband and I were building our house, along with our recording studio in the backyard. During my pregnancy, I sang backup for the String’s Attached White Album show and befriended two other singers also singing in the show who happened to be due with their first babies the same week as me — Libby Kirkpatrick and Sarah Sharp.  We were quite a sight to behold on stage together!

A few months after all of our babies were born, I began cooking up an idea for the three of us to record a children’s music album together in our studio.  They both agreed that it sounded like fun and the seed was planted.

Over the next nearly three years with many stops and starts, more babies born, six more amazing women invited to participate, and Sara Hickman agreeing to produce the album — my little idea to record an album with a few friends has grown into something much bigger and is coming to life. I’m proud and scared and occasionally overwhelmed and find myself repeating my favorite mantra daily, “I can, I will, I am.” It’s one thing to dream up something and sell others on the idea, and another thing altogether to actually do it, to generate and regenerate momentum, and ensure everyone involved feels good about their choice to be a part of it. (more…)

Posted in Breastfeeding, Music | 2 Comments

Follow Me

 

• Blogs I Like...

  • Breastfeeding Moms Unite
  • Motherwear's Breastfeeding Blog
  • PhD in Parenting
  • Slow Family Living

Places to go


 

Add us to your site!