Pasteurized Donor Milk Saves Lives
There are a lot of reasons why The Milk Bank loves helping fragile babies and their families by providing safe human milk It gives babies with high-risk medical conditions a fighting chance when they don’t have access to safe human milk.
But the biggest reason we do what we do at The Milk Bank is because human milk saves lives—there’s no other way to say it! Read on to learn how Pasteurized Donor Milk is designed to save lives.
Human Milk Is Designed to Protect
Human milk is gentler on immature digestive systems and provides important protections for tiny tummies. Each nursing parent’s milk is uniquely designed to help guarantee their baby the best likelihood of thriving. Research as new as 2023 demonstrates even two people from the same area and who live similar lifestyles will still produce human milk unique to their individual biology, adapting to the distinct needs of their individual babies at any given time.
“Basically, if a nursing parent has been exposed to a disease, they’ll pass those specific antibodies on to their baby,” says Sarah Long, Clinical Director at The Milk Bank. “Human milk is designed to protect. It’s all part of how a birth parent’s milk offers optimal survival for their child. We cannot make this stuff up. It’s that cool!”
Pasteurized Donor Milk Maximizes Defense
So, if human milk is unique to each individual nursing parent and their baby, how does Pasteurized Donor Milk work?
Hospitals can offer Pasteurized Donor Milk to premature and ill infants as a safer alternative to formula when mom’s own milk is unavailable. These babies often can’t physically digest formula, and in many cases, to them.
And it still offers all the antibodies that naturally exist in human milk. “Pasteurized Donor Milk offers a wide range of antibodies and protective factors due to the process of pooling multiple donors. Which is exactly what is needed for the population we serve,” says Long.
The Bottom Line Is Survival
To put it simply, for medically fragile babies, a 100% human milk diet saves lives. It’s gentle on small stomachs and is full of the nutrients needed to positively impact brain development.
As science evolves, we learn more every day about the life-saving power of human milk. When we provide access to safe donor milk, we help more babies celebrate their first birthday!
Want to join our mission at The Milk Bank? You can support us through your time, your money, or your milk!