Breast milk bank opens at South Shore Hospital

WEYMOUTH, Mass. — Breast milk can be life saving for premature or sick babies, and now a new breast milk donation depot at South Shore Hospital aims to help.

FOX25 was at the ribbon cutting ceremony and learned that it won’t just serve needy babies, but moms too.

In the past if local moms wanted to donate their milk they’d have to mail it in in a temperature controlled FedEx box, or they’d have to drive to Newton to drop it off at the bank, now they only need to travel to Weymouth.

Pre-screened donors who have more breast milk than their babies need can drop off donations at the hospital where it will be stored then shipped to the milk bank. The milk bank screens, pasteurizes, and tests the donated milk then dispenses it primarily to hospitals who serve it to sick or premature babies in the NICU. Although private moms can purchase it as well.

“Donor milk can be live saving and prevent very serious complications like a disease called necrotizing enterocolitis that can essentially kill a premature baby, and human milk reduces the incidence of NEC by about 80 percent,” Ann Marie Lindquist from Mothers Milk Bank Northeast said.

Mothers Milk Bank serves 70 hospitals in 10 states, and it’s the only bank in the northeast. Now South Shore hospital hopes area moms will take advantage.

Cox Media Group