The Breastfeeding Center at Kishwaukee Hospital is pleased to announce the opening of a human milk depot with the Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes. One of the first four Illinois locations, the Milk Depot at the Breastfeeding Center is a place where pre-approved mothers can drop-off their extra breastmilk to help save the lives of premature and sick babies whose mothers cannot produce enough milk of their own. 
The depot at the Breastfeeding Center will send the collected milk to a milk bank where it will be pasteurized. Pasteurized human milk offers many of the same benefits for the premature infant including optimal nutrition and disease prevention. The Milk Depot accepts frozen human milk and sends it to a milk bank, where the milk is processed, pasteurized, and dispensed, according to the guidelines established by the Milk Banking Association of North America. Donor milk is distributed to the most at-risk babies and can be lifesaving for preterm infants in protecting babies against life-threatening diseases.
To donate breastmilk, mothers need to go through a screening process with the milk bank. The process is similar to the process for donating blood. For the remainder of this year, mothers who wish to donate may contact Lauren at the Milk Bank in Indiana to begin the screening process by calling 317.536.1670. Once a donor number is received, mothers can call the Breastfeeding Center at Kishwaukee Hospital at 815.748.8350 to arrange a drop off time.
In early 2015, the Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes will open a processing facility in northern Illinois and the milk donated to the Breastfeeding Center will stay local to help local infants.
For more information about the Kishwaukee Hospital’s Breastfeeding Center, visit www.kishbreastfeedingcenter.org.
