Piedmont Henry Hospital is starting a program where mothers can donate breast milk to a milk bank so it can be used for babies in the NICU. Premature babies are at high risk of an intestinal disease known as necrotizing enterocolitis, which can be fatal. Breast milk decreases the risk of this disease rather dramatically, and has become the preferred feeding for premature babies. These babies also, of course, receive many of the other benefits of breast milk as well.
Donated breast milk is pasteurized and pooled with other milk, and then combined to produce milk of standard, consistent calorie and nutritional content. Piedmont Henry is using the services of a large milk bank, Prolacta Bioscience.
Mothers who have extra milk or who want to save milk for donating can find out more at Piedmont’s Donor Milk Program or the Piedmont Prolacta site, or by calling 1-855-969-9199.