BATON ROUGE, La. (WGNO) – Unfortunately, not all newborns are born healthy, but thankfully, there’s hope for the fragile and sick babies who spend the first moments of life in neonatal intensive care units, and it comes in the form of mother’s milk.
“I think milk banking is probably the most important thing I can do with my milk after feeding my own child,” says milk donor Lauren Reed.
Reed spearheaded the opening of the Mother’s Milk Depot at the Birth Center of Baton Rouge.
The mother of two says what started out as a mission to clean out her freezer has since then become a mission to save lives.
“I don’t think women know it’s an option. I know women who have poured their milk down the drain, which just makes me want to cry,” says Reed.
Reed says the donor process is simple, too.
Women who are currently breastfeeding infants under one year old are eligible for screening. It just takes a phone call and if you pass you’re well on your way to helping sick babies start anew.
“Cost savings to our healthcare system gets these babies out of the hospital faster and back home to their families,” says Reed.