The UCR Health Milk Depot, dedicated to collecting breast milk for local residents in need, held its grand opening at the UCR Health Inland Empire Women's Health Center in Riverside, Calif., on Aug. 20. Overseen by Dr. Brenda Ross, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UCR Health, the depot partners with the UC Health Milk Bank at the University of California, San Diego, to help families and facilities in need of breast milk for tiny or sick newborns.
“Breastfeeding is one of the most natural things a woman can do,” says Ross. “Many studies have shown that breastfeeding is beneficial for the baby and the mother. For mothers, breastfeeding reduces the risk of developing diabetes and helps mothers bond with their babies. Breastfed babies are less likely to suffer from ear infections. The antibodies they get from their mothers help reduce other types of infections. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of obesity in children. That's why it's so important to have a reservoir like ours.”
Breast milk banks are certified collection facilities that accept human milk. When parental breast milk is unavailable or in short supply, pasteurized donor breast milk is the next best option for preventing necrotizing enterocolitis, a serious intestinal disease that occurs in preterm and very low birth weight infants and is a leading cause of infant mortality. Donors are usually mothers who produce more breast milk than their children can consume, or who produce breast milk that cannot be used because their babies have developed intolerance to breast milk.
Ruby Onate, lead medical assistant at UCR Health Inland Empire Women's Health Center, stands next to a freezer where donated milk is neatly stored. (UCR/I. Pittalwala)
“We're excited to open this warehouse in the Inland Empire,” Ross said. “It's an important message that celebrates womanhood, motherhood and parenting, and it also raises awareness about breastfeeding.”
Ross said studies have shown that women of color don't breastfeed at the same rates or for the same duration as other women, with black mothers having the lowest breastfeeding initiation rates at 74.5%.
Allison Wolf, executive director of the UC Health Milk Bank, explained that the donated milk is tested and processed into safe pasteurized dairy products and distributed from the San Diego facility to hospitalized children and newborns throughout Southern California.
“Women interested in donating breast milk can contact UC Health Milk Bank to learn more about the five simple steps to become a certified breast milk donor,” she said. “Breast milk donations are a vital gift that helps vulnerable infants in our community.”
Zayan Musa, a third-year medical student at UCR and student leader for the warehouse, who attended the grand opening, played a key role in connecting the UCR Health Inland Empire Women's Health Center with ECHO, the charitable non-governmental organization that helped fund the warehouse.
“ECHO would like to make this repository a permanent addition to the Inland Empire, rather than just a temporary project, so that mothers here have a place where they can donate breast milk whenever they want,” said Musa, who volunteers with ECHO and launched the Breast Milk Clinical Trials Project with Ross last year. “My family helped set up orphanages in Bangladesh, where typically these children don't get the nutrition they need directly from their mothers. That's why I became interested in the health benefits of breast milk and started a clinical trial to analyze the impact of maternal sleep on breast milk. The question we're exploring is, does the quality of breast milk improve when mothers get enough sleep?”
Ms Musa stressed that breastfeeding is not necessarily a birthright: some mothers produce more milk than they can consume, while others produce very little, she said.
“Many mothers who produce excess breast milk have experienced extremely difficult life circumstances, including stillbirth,” she said. “This milk store will give these mothers a place to breastfeed and at the same time contribute to saving their children's lives.”
Once approved, donors can bring their breast milk to a repository in special bags available online, at pharmacies, and in some stores. The milk must be delivered frozen. At the repository, the bags of breast milk are placed into larger bags labeled with the pumping date, which are then stored in large freezers. Donors then submit an application online. Shortly thereafter, the frozen milk is delivered by FedEx to the University of California, San Diego, where it is tested.
The UCR Health Milk Depot has partnered with the Inland Empire Breastfeeding Coalition, a nonprofit organization of health professionals whose mission is to provide evidence-based education and make breastfeeding the norm in the region. Laurie Hessley, R.D., registered dietitian and internationally certified lactation consultant, and Leanne Contreras, registered nurse and internationally certified lactation consultant, attended the grand opening on behalf of the coalition.
“There is no other facility like the UCR Health Milk Depot in the Inland Empire,” Hesley said, “and it fills a great need in our community. Currently, many hospitals in the area are unable to provide donor milk to families in need. We plan to spread the word locally about this depot, as many people have never heard of milk banks or milk donations.”
Contreras, who works at Corona Regional Medical Center, said her hospital doesn't yet have donor breast milk options available for babies in need.
“I hope to change this by helping to get donor milk to the Corona area,” she said. “With the support of the UCR Health Milk Depot in San Diego and the UC Health Milk Bank, I know we can make this happen.”
Women interested in donating breast milk can call 858-249-6455, email [email protected] or find more information here.
