Part 2- The New York Milk Bank: What It’s All About

Here is part 2 of our in-depth interview with The New York Milk Bank. Enjoy!

~Rebecca Conroy, Editor of A Child Grows in Brooklyn

Is there a reasoning behind keeping human milk local/in-state?

Since the AAP recommended PDHM as the best alternative for feeding premature infants when sufficient quantities of their own mother’s milk is not available, there has been increased demand for PDHM from consumers, physicians and hospitals. However, currently there is no milk bank in New York State and the supply of PDHM from out-of-state milk banks is not nearly enough to meet the need. Currently PDHM in New York is obtained from the only two milk banks licensed by the NYSDOH, which are located in Ohio and Massachusetts. Having New York’s only licensed milk banks located out of state significantly increases its cost and limits its availability. Milk donors from New York must send their milk to the OH or MA milk bank for processing. This results in delays in obtaining PDHM and increased costs for handling and transporting PDHM to New York. Clearly a fully operational nonprofit milk bank is needed in New York State.

This PDHM shortage will be addressed by the New York Milk Bank (NYMB.) It will provide PDHM to hospitals and vulnerable infants throughout New York State. The NYMB is an independent community-based nonprofit milk bank which will accept milk from carefully screened donors, process the milk and distribute PDHM throughout New York while keeping costs low.

Many families, aware of the problems associated with artificial feeding products, are requesting donor milk, particularly when they have an ill or premature infant and maternal milk is insufficient or unavailable. In addition, with increasing emphasis on informed choice, family-centered care and best practices, health professionals are also seeking information on the use of donor milk.

Mothers who provide milk to their premature or sick infants feel empowered by their ability to give milk to their fragile babies. When mothers’ own milk supply is insufficient, PDHM provides an acceptable supplement without the risks of infant formula. Moreover, mothers who receive PDHM for their infants will often donate milk for others in need if their milk supply improves, thus extending the reach of the program.

The New York Milk Bank is well positioned to address the need for increased donor milk in New York State. The NYMB is a local nonprofit organization run by a volunteer group of lactation experts including physicians, nurses and lactation professionals. Its advisory board is composed of leading public health professionals from the New York City and New York State Health Departments as well as physicians, scientists and lactation professionals. The NY State and NY City Health Departments support the NYMB and its goals. They will work with the NYMB to educate health providers and the public about the importance of PDHM and to increase the use of PDHM in New York. The New York State Breastfeeding Coalition and all major pediatric, obstetric, family medicine, nursing, nutrition and lactation associations support the NYMB and will help with outreach to the public and professionals. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America and the NYS Department of Health will provide guidance and technical assistance as procedures for handling and processing PDHM are established in compliance with NYSDOH regulations and HMBANA guidelines.

The New York Milk Bank is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and does not profit from the sale of donated milk. Processing fees are covered by hospitals when ordering PDHM. The New York Milk Bank is located just 20 minutes from the Bronx, 45 minutes from midtown Manhattan and Queens, an hour from Brooklyn and Staten Island, and two hours from Suffolk County, Long Island and Albany. The milk bank’s proximity to the New York Metro area allows for same day delivery of donor milk to hospitals and perinatal centers, thereby lowering the overall cost of donor human milk and making it readily available when needed.

How old is the act of milk sharing, in humanity?

Wet nursing and sharing of mothers’ milk among friends and relatives has saved infants of mothers who died in childbirth or could not breastfeed for as long as the human species has existed.

Today, infants with serious medical problems and premature infants, some born up to four months early, are surviving with neonatal intensive care. Approximately one in 10 babies is born prematurely each year in New York. Pasteurized donor human milk from nonprofit milk banks has been shown to be safe and effective for these vulnerable infants. The NYMB is licensed by the NYSDOH and will be certified by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America to ensure safety.

“Milk sharing” includes milk purchased online from a variety of sites as well as milk given or sold directly to others. Safety practices are generally unclear or non-existent. Donors are not formally screened and milk is not pasteurized or tested and may be unsafe, especially for premature and medically fragile infants. Parents can be reassured that the milk their infants receive from a HMBANA bank is safe, and donors can feel reassured that they are helping the most vulnerable infants by donating to a HMBANA nonprofit milk bank.

Breastmilk has recently become an industrial commodity and a new frontier of the biotechnology industry. At least six new companies have emerged over the past few years focused on producing costly therapeutic products and fortifiers from human milk. Most for-profit companies screen potential donors and pay mothers for their milk. Some provide donor milk and human milk based fortifiers to hospitals at costs that are prohibitively expensive for many hospitals. In some parts of the country, milk donations to nonprofit milk banks have decreased because of competition from for profit industry.

Here are the bios of the workers at the Milk Bank.