A mother's own milk is the best food for her baby. But when a mother can't provide breast milk, milk from healthy donor mothers is the next best thing. That's where the Bronson Mothers' Milk Bank comes in.
The milk bank collects, screens, processes, stores, and distributes donated human milk. All milk that comes into the milk bank is pasteurized to kill any bacteria or viruses. And most nutrients are preserved during pasteurization.
Benefits of Donor Human Milk
Having the Bronson Mothers' Milk Bank allows us to provide the best nutrition to babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit whose mothers can't provide breast milk. Human milk is easier for babies to digest and offers better nutrition than infant formula. And research shows human milk helps sick and premature babies have better outcomes. When the needs of Bronson's patients are met, we share milk with other hospitals whose patients have a need.
Milk Bank Donors
Milk donors are healthy mothers who breastfeed their own babies. When they make more milk than their baby can use, they can donate their extra milk to the milk bank. Sometimes mothers who have experienced the loss of a child will donate their milk, too. The milk bank carefully screens all donors. Donors can't be on certain medications, and donors and their families must be healthy during the time the mother donates milk.
Donating to the Bronson Mothers' Milk Bank is easy. Mothers who would like to donate their milk can call the milk bank at (269) 341-8849. The Milk Bank drop off is in the Bronson Breastfeeding Center.
