Buy Breast Milk Houston
Based on milk availability and a physician's prescription, the Donor Milk To Go program bridges the gap between leaving the hospital and a successful breastfeeding routine. This allows short-term supplementation with human milk instead of formula while providing babies with a healthy start and parents with peace of mind.
buy breast milk houston
Although any woman can donate her breast milk regardless of where she lives, the new milk collection site at Houston Methodist Willowbrook will make it easier for all Northwest Houston donors to provide this scarce resource that has a life-saving impact. Women who are currently breastfeeding infants under one year of age are eligible to be screened at no charge to become breast milk donors.
Nonprofit milk banks like MMBA ensure donor breast milk is safe and available to the infants who need it most. The pasteurized breast milk dispensed is specially processed to meet the specific needs of fragile and sick babies.
Lactating women in Houston who are interested in donating their breast milk for the benefit of premature, ill and medically fragile infants may call toll-free 1-877-813-6455 to begin the screening process.
Proper DONOR SCREENING is crucial and must be followed before feeding milk to babies in need. Studies show that unpasteurized milk may have bacteria. IT IS ADVISED THAT ALL MILK MUST BE PASTEURIZED BEFORE USE. Please see our At Home Pasteurization Tips.
Only The Breast is not affiliated with any breast milk banks or human milk processing companies other than those identified on the About Us page of the Only The Breast website. Any other statements of affiliation not made by Only The Breast, Inc. should be reported via the notification procedures.
Zoe White, senior milk bank tech, places prepared milk for transport to the cardiovascular ICU from the milk bank at Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women, 6651 Main St., Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in Houston.
Nelly Posada, senior milk bank tech, places prepared feeding syringes in a refrigerator at the milk bank at Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women, 6651 Main St., Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, in Houston.
So I turned to my lactation consultant again, this time for help connecting with a milk bank as a donor. She put me in touch with MMBA, and after a couple of phone calls, a few emails and one trip for that blood test, I was approved. That was in March, more than 1,000 donated ounces ago.
Madison Fitzgerald, 20, holds her baby, Jake, in the neonatal intensive care unit at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. Jake, who was born 16 weeks too early, receives donor breast milk every three hours by mouth. Carrie Feibel/KUHF hide caption
Courtney Helms, who works in fundraising for an educational nonprofit in Dallas, had no idea about the market for donated breast milk until her second son was born. Helms was a committed breast-feeder, but her supply dropped after recurrent bouts of strep throat. So she turned to a Facebook group to find moms who would give her extra frozen milk.
That's a mistake, according to people who work for breast milk banks. These banks, mostly nonprofits, carefully screen donors and also pasteurize the milk. Mothers are tested for infectious diseases like HIV and hepatitis, and the milk itself is tested for tested for bacteria, says Kim Updegrove, president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.
"The practice of Internet sharing of human milk is not safe," Updegrove says. "Sharing a body fluid with all of its potential bacteria and viruses is dangerous, and it is playing Russian roulette with your child's life."
A recent study in the journal Pediatrics now cast a light on the risks. The study compared breast milk purchased online from anonymous donors with milk donated to a milk bank by screened and trained donors. The milk sold on the Internet had higher bacteria levels, including contamination with fecal bacteria and salmonella.
Helms had heard about the study, but isn't convinced that what she did was dangerous. She believes that people who would sell milk, as opposed to giving it away, have different motivations and may take fewer precautions when collecting and storing the milk.
Research has shown that premature babies fed breast milk, either their mother's own milk or donor milk, do better. Breast milk helps ward off necrotizing enterocolitis, a dangerous intestinal illness that can kill underweight newborns.
At Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, neonatologists encourage mothers of premature babies to pump. But if that doesn't work, they often feed the babies donor breast milk purchased from a regional milk bank that tests and pasteurizes it.
First-time mother Madison Fitzgerald, 20, praised the program. Her baby, Jake, was born at 26 weeks, and Fitzgerald's attempts to pump enough milk petered out after two weeks. The neonatologist prescribed donor milk every three hours. "I think it's a lot better for him than having to process formula," she says. "It's helped us a lot with getting him bigger and stronger and ready to go home."
After instituting this approach in 2009, rates of necrotizing enterocolitis at Texas Children's dropped. But as other pediatric hospitals followed suit, the milk got harder to find. To lock in a steady supply, Texas Children's created its own milk bank and volunteer network.
"We have a very high-risk population and a lot of babies that needed donor milk," said Kristina Tucker, manager for the milk bank."And we often weren't able to get enough." The hospital also purchases a fortified breast milk product from a for-profit company.
In this context, breast milk straddles categories. It is both food and medicine. Three states also consider breast milk to be a human tissue, and regulate it that way. But so far the Food and Drug Administration has chosen not to regulate informal sharing of breast milk. It's still legal to share it online, although the FDA recommends against it because of the safety risks.
Updegrove would like the government to simply outlaw the Internet milk trade. This would steer would-be donors to the milk banks that screen and test milk, increasing both safety and supply. She says there might even be enough supply generated to share the milk with healthy newborns.
In the meantime, even nursing proponents like Updegrove and Tucker maintain that when nursing fails emphasize that formula remains a good and safe choice for full-term, healthy babies. They say donor breast milk should be preserved for the babies who need it most: babies who are premature, allergic, or have digestive problems.
FILE - In this Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020 file photo, Valentina Frey of Switzerland breasts feed her daughter, Charlotte Katharina, in the Paul VI hall on the occasion of the weekly general audience at the Vatican. Pope Francis at the start of his audience mentioned her as an example of tenderness and beauty. Released on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, the first U.S. government dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers recommend exclusive feeding of breast milk for at least six months and no added sugar for children under age 2. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
The foundation approved a three-year, $300,000 grant for UTMB to determine whether breast milk has an innate ability to stop the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the novel coronavirus, or if an infected mother who recovers can pass antibodies to her child through her milk.
In the study, which launched in November, breast milk of women who have tested negative will be examined for antiviral factors. Milk from women who had a confirmed COVID-19 case will be tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Since it remains unclear whether the virus can be shed into breast milk, scientists will look for the presence of SARS-CoV-2, as well.
Researchers already know breast milk has natural neutralizing properties that could help fight infection, including antibodies, fats, sugars and white blood cells, Garofalo said. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce asthma risks, Type 1 diabetes and severe lower respiratory disease and gastrointestinal infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage and do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag. Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) are considered medically necessary liquids. This also applies to breast milk and formula cooling accessories, such as ice packs, freezer packs, and gel packs (regardless of presence of breast milk). Your child or infant does not need to be present or traveling with you to bring breast milk, formula and/or related supplies.
Inform the TSA officer at the beginning of the screening process that you are carrying formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) in excess of 3.4 ounces. Remove these items from your carry-on bag to be screened separately from your other belongings. TSA officers may need to test the liquids for explosives or concealed prohibited items.
Although not required, to expedite the screening process, it is recommended that formula and breast milk be transported in clear, translucent bottles and not plastic bags or pouches. Liquids in plastic bags or pouches may not be able to be screened by Bottle Liquid Scanners, and you may be asked to open them (if feasible) for alternate screening such as Explosive Trace Detection and Vapor Analysis for the presence of liquid explosives. Screening will never include placing anything into the medically necessary liquid.
TSA X-ray machines do not adversely affect food or medicines. However, if you do not want the formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) to be X-rayed or opened, please inform the TSA officer. Additional steps will be taken to clear the liquid and you or the traveling guardian will undergo additional screening procedures, to include Advanced Imaging Technology screening and additional/enhanced screening of other carry-on property. 041b061a72