JANESVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) – The opening of this milk depot at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Janesville makes 16 Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes depots throughout the state. This milk depot is put on through Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes, an organization that delivers breast milk to neonatal intensive care units and to homes for children who do not have access to breast milk.
The milk donated will be given to babies in neonatal intensive care units throughout southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The staff at St. Mary’s said they chose to open the milk depot because they don’t have a neonatal ICU.They saw this as an opportunity to help their Rock County community.
According to the Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes organization of the 250,000 babies born each year in Illinois and Wisconsin, 12% are born premature.
Premature babies fed anything other than human milk are at a much higher risk of developing serious health problems known as necrotizing enterocoloitis, according to Mother’s Milk Bank of Western Great Lakes.
Those who want to donate breast milk need to register through the Mother’s Milk of Western Great Lakes organization. The donor will go through a screening process before their milk can be donated.
The milk donated will also go to mothers in the community who cannot produce enough milk to feed their baby.
If you are interested in donating, click here.
For more information about the milk depots around the state of Wisconsin, click here.
Get the latest updates from nbc15.com delivered to your browser.
