WakeMed Mothers' Milk Bank seeks more donors, plans Chapel Hill event this month
WakeMed's Mothers' Milk Bank is looking for new breast milk donors and will travel to Chapel Hill later this month in its Mobile Milk Bank to share more information about what it takes to become one.
Posted — Updated
WakeMed's Mothers' Milk Bank is looking for new breast milk donors and will travel to Chapel Hill later this month in its Mobile Milk Bank to share more information about what it takes to become one.
The Mobile Milk Bank will visit the Women's Birth & Wellness Center, 930 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Chapel Hill, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, June 29.
Potential donors can learn more about what's involved to donate their breast milk, take part in in-person interviews and go through a free screening, which includes tests for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, HTLV and syphillis. At the same time, approved donors who live in the Chapel Hill area also can drop off their donations at the event. They'll also offer free car seat checks and blood pressure checks.
The milk is critical for some of the more than 10,000 premature babies who are born in North Carolina each year. Breast milk has antibodies that can protect against disease, illness and intestinal infections, which can be life threatening for premature babies. But, because many sick premature babies aren't able to breastfeed, their mothers often aren't able to pump enough milk for them. For a baby in the NICU, milk donations can be essential to life, according to WakeMed.
Interested in becoming a donor? Here's some more information about what it takes:
- Most moms in good health can donate milk. WakeMed Mothers’ Milk Bank follows guidelines set forth by HMBANA to ensure the highest level of purity and safety for fragile infants.
- Initial screenings for potential milk donors is a simple 10-minute phone screening with questions about storage, medications and travel. If there are no concerns during the phone screening, the next steps include some paperwork with more in-depth questions, physician approvals and blood tests. (The screening requirements will take place on-site during the June 29 event.)
- Once a donor is approved, they make an initial donation of 100 ounces of breast milk if dropping off their milk locally or 200 ounces for WakeMed donors shipping their milk by cooler and then varying amounts for following donations.
- For local donors, WakeMed North Hospital in North Raleigh is home to the state's first 24/7 milk bank depot site with drop-off service for approved donors.
• Credits
Copyright 2023 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
