The practice will both accept milk donations from approved donors and provide safe, pasteurized donor milk to families with a prescription.
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Families in greater Portland will soon have easier access to supplemental breast milk to support their baby’s needs in the early postpartum period if the maternal milk supply is still developing. With pasteurized human donor milk provided by Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, MaineHealth Pediatrics and Young Adult Medicine - South Portland will open a donor milk dispensary on October 28 at 75B John Roberts Road.
A donor milk dispensary is a community location where a family whose baby has a prescription can obtain donor milk for use at home. Babies at many Maine hospitals can receive donor milk while in the hospital if needed. Dispensaries make donor milk easier to access when those parents go home.
“Families frequently tell us that access to lactation counseling and access to donor milk are instrumental supports in their breastfeeding journey. We are so grateful to partner with MaineHealth Pediatrics and Young Adult Medicine - South Portland to make donor milk more accessible to Maine families,” commented Kylia Garver, COO for Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast collects milk from parents who have more milk than their babies need; screens, pasteurizes and tests the milk; then dispenses it to babies whose parents do not have enough milk. Milk donor screening, modeled after blood donor screening, includes health history, physician or midwife approval and a blood test. Milk from donors who pass the screening is pasteurized and tested by an independent lab to ensure safety before being dispensed to hospitals, dispensaries or families. Once approved by the milk bank to donate, local parents may drop their donations off at the MaineHealth Pediatrics and Young Adult Medicine - South Portland depot for shipment to the milk bank, where it will then be processed.
MaineHealth Pediatrics and Young Adult Medicine - South Portland sought to add the milk dispensary because of the clinical benefits of using donor milk to help parents achieve their breastfeeding goals. A human milk diet for babies has been definitively linked to extensive health benefits for babies including lower rates of certain cancers and diseases, lower rates of obesity and improved neurodevelopment.
“We are so pleased to be able to help connect more families with donor breast milk,” said MaineHealth pediatrician Dr. Jessica Rosenthal. “The health benefits of breast milk are well established, but the process of breastfeeding can often be very challenging. Having donor milk conveniently available can be a huge relief for families.”
"We see firsthand how much of an impact donor milk has on new families both in and out of the hospital” said International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Lyndsay Mitsopoulos who is one of two board-certified lactation consultants onsite. “This new service will make it easier for us to support the feeding goals of parents whose children are in our care.”
Having donor milk available at community locations like a dispensary can be an essential component in improving human milk feeding rates for families who have that goal. For many families, donor milk can offer practical support and emotional relief in the early weeks after birth. For donors, it’s a way to help other parents during a vulnerable time.
“Every time I pick up donor breastmilk I sit in the car and tear up for a few minutes,” said Susan. “There's something so incredible about this gift...mothers worked day and night to pump that milk... all that hard work that my little one is now directly benefiting from. Every time I hear another study about the benefits of breastfeeding, including passive immunity from getting mom's antibodies, I am so thankful for every drop that my baby could get.”
Families seeking information about donating milk should contact Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast by calling 617-527-6263 x3 or email donate@milkbankne.org. Families interested in purchasing donor milk for their newborn at MaineHealth Pediatrics and Young Adult Medicine - South Portland can contact: 207-661-3512 or email MHMGDonorMilk@MaineHealth.org.
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About Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast is a nonprofit community milk bank accredited by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). The milk bank has been screening donors, pasteurizing milk, and dispensing to over 100 hospitals and to families throughout Maine and the Northeastern United States since 2011. Families and health care providers seeking more information on receiving or donating milk can check the milk bank’s website at https://milkbankne.org/.
About MaineHealth
MaineHealth is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. MaineHealth includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth hospitals include MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast. MaineHealth also includes the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, MaineHealth Behavioral Health in Westbrook, MaineHealth Home Health and Hospice in Saco, the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, the MaineHealth Medical Group and MaineHealth NorDx in Scarborough. MaineHealth affiliates include MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and Waterville and St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.