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Lions and Tigers and Babies, Oh My!

Northwest Mothers Milk Bank Celebrates Hundreds of Local Milk Donors
October 2, 2014

On Sunday, October 5th, the Oregon Zoo will welcome hundreds of mothers who have collectively donated over 160,000 ounces of human milk to benefit local babies in need. Northwest Mothers Milk Bank (NWMMB) will be hosting this Donor Appreciation Event- its first- at the Oregon Zoo.  Local mothers will spend a fun-filled day with their families exploring the zoo, having lunch and meeting other life-saving donors.  Families whose babies have been recipients of donor milk have also been invited to share in the celebration and express their appreciation to the mothers who have donated.

Milk donors are local heroes; helping save babies drop by drop.  “They are at the heart of our organization.  Donating breastmilk is like donating love.  These mothers are true volunteers, giving a unique gift to infants so they can have the best start in life.  These women need to be celebrated!” stated Joanne Ransom, NWMMB Clinical Director.  More than 400 milk donors from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska have generously donated milk to the bank; this is just one way for the greater community to show their appreciation.  In 2015, various appreciation events will be planned to celebrate donors from areas across the Pacific Northwest.

Northwest Mothers Milk Bank, the first not-for-profit milk bank in the Pacific Northwest, opened its doors in July 2013 after five labor intensive years building the organization from the ground up. NWMMB provides safe, pasteurized donor human milk to babies in need when their mother’s own milk is not available – usually to ill, premature infants in the hospital.  The staff at NWMMB screens local milk donors, collects their milk and distributes it throughout the NW.  “The local response has been tremendous.  It has allowed us to pasteurize over 130,000 ounces and distribute life-saving donor milk to hospitals and families throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Lesley Mondeaux, Executive Director.  Currently NWMMB dispenses safe, pasteurized donor milk to 25 hospitals that serve medically fragile newborns across the Pacific Northwest.

Human milk provides optimal nutrition, promotes normal growth and development, and reduces the risk of illness and disease. It significantly contributes to saving the lives of fragile newborn infants.  As research supporting human milk donation increases, more and more health systems are using donor milk for infants with medical needs.  “Each drop of donated milk is a miracle. When the most fragile infants receive breast milk, they have lower risk of infections and life threatening intestinal complications. They leave the intensive care unit earlier, and later in life they have higher IQs and fewer developmental problems,” said Dr. Stefanie Rogers, NWMMB Co-Medical Director.

”We celebrate our donor mamas every day, but this is a special opportunity to bring them all together and thank them collectively.  We are eager and excited to have so many of them all together in one room.  We are also very appreciative of our sponsoring organization, Bank of the Cascades,” said Lesley Mondeaux.

NWMMB is a member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (www.hmbana.org); a community of milk banks who follow evidenced-based safety guidelines for screening milk donors and the pasteurization of human milk.  NWMMB was established as a not-for-profit organization in 2008.  Its mission is to serve the Pacific Northwest by collecting, pasteurizing and distributing human donor milk to our smallest and most vulnerable community members.

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