baby bottle

Alabama's first milk depot for donated human breast milk will open May 26, 2015, in Madison, Ala. The donated milk will be pasteurized in Birmingham at the Mothers' Milk Bank of Alabama and will be distributed to hospitals to be given to medically fragile infants. (File)

It's a first for Alabama's most fragile babies: a human "milk depot," where breastfeeding mothers can donate breast milk to be given to medically fragile babies in Alabama and across the country.

The medical community says breastmilk is best for babies whenever possible. But what happens when the tiniest and sickest babies aren't able to breastfeed normally and their mothers aren't able to pump for them?

"Human milk is so important to premature and critically ill babies because they digest human milk much easier than formulas derived from cows' milk or soybeans," said Stacy Ramirez, a registered nurse and International Board Certified Lactaction Consultant. "This is true of any baby, but especially those born premature with fragile gastrointestinal tracts."

Enter the non-profit human milk bank.

Today is the grand opening of the Connections Breastfeeding Milk Depot in Madison, Ala., making Madison the first Alabama city to open a satellite drop-off location for donations of breast milk for the Mothers' Milk Bank of Alabama, which is headquartered in Birmingham.

The Milk Depot will host a deep-freezer unit that will store breast milk donations from women across North Alabama. Any lactating woman can become a donor after being screened at no charge.

"The milk collected here at the Madison Depot site will be sent to Birmingham and pasteurized there at the Mothers Milk Bank of Alabama," said Ramirez.

There are only 16 donor milk banks in the United States, according to the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, a professional association that supports non-profit donor human milk banking.

The milk donated by North Alabama mothers, after going through a pasteurization and screening process, will be given to medically fragile babies in North Alabama hospitals and even beyond, said Katherine Wood, program coordinator for the Mothers' Milk Bank of Alabama (MMBA).

"Once milk is donated, it is pooled with 3-10 other donations to make a target calorie count," said Wood. "Pooling the milk also increases the immunological benefits of the milk. The milk is then pasteurized and distributed to NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Units).

At Huntsville Hospital, for example, extremely low birth weight babies in the NICU can be given breast milk if their mothers are unable to produce milk.

"Mothers must sign a consent form that informs them of the source and screening procedures of donated breast milk," said Jennifer Malone, marketing coordinator for Huntsville Hospital. "The NICU receives donated breast milk from a HMBANA (Human Milk Banking Association of North America) accredited milk bank that uses strict criteria for accepting, testing and storing donated milk."

If the supply at the MMBA exceeds statewide hospital demand, extra milk will be made available to infants that have gone home from the NICU on pasteurized donor human milk, and to hospitals outside of Alabama.

There are plans to open milk depots in Anniston, Auburn, Mobile, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa in the future. Before the Madison depot, the only place in the state that took breast milk donations was the MMBA office in Birmingham.

How do I get screened?

The milk bank screens potential donors for health reasons. The screening process takes about a week.

Interested women can go to www.mmbal.org, click "How to donate" and download a donation questionnaire and necessary forms.

Once those forms are filled out and the potential donor has gotten a blood test at a local lab, she returns the paperwork to the milk bank and receives an ID number. Then she can drop off her milk at the Milk Depot.

When is the ribbon-cutting ceremony?

The Madison Milk Depot is the result of a partnership between Connections Breastfeeding, an organization that sponsors educational events, and the Mothers' Milk Bank of Alabama (MMBA), a non-profit organization founded under the guidance of the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

A ribbon cutting ceremony to symbolically open the Madison Milk Depot will be held today at 5 p.m. at the Milk Depot located inside Journey Therapeutic Massage (1874 Slaughter Road, Madison). A milk and cookies toast will follow remarks from Clare Price, the depot's inaugural donor, and lactation consultant Elizabeth Dunaway.

"The MMBA is a wonderful opportunity to be able to help other babies during a crucial time in their development," said Price. "I am thankful to be able to donate to the milk bank, along with other nursing mothers, to help babies in the NICU thrive."

Can I help even if I can't donate milk?

The MMBA welcomes volunteer support and donated items. For more information, email kwood@mmbal.org.

The MMBA also accepts monetary donations. Money is used toward milk storage bottles, welcome kits, shipping, breast pumps for mothers in need, pasteurization equipment and nutritional analysis equipment.

More information and an online donation form is available at www.mmbal.org/support.

Anyone looking for more information about Connections Breastfeeding or the Milk Depot is invited to come by the ribbon cutting ceremony or to visit www.connectionsbreastfeeding.com.