Princeton, WV (WOAY) This Thursday, during World Breastfeeding Week, WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital announced the official launch of the region’s first donor milk depot. President and CEO Karen Bowling says that over 100 babies are delivered at PCH each month, and supporting healthy beginnings is central to the hospital’s mission:
“We are honored to partner with the Mid-Atlantic Mother’s Milk Bank and deeply grateful to the mothers who choose to donate. Together, we can help more babies live and have the healthiest possible start in life. And isn’t that what we all want to see for our babies in our region?”
Access to donor breast milk means life-saving nutrition for vulnerable infants, especially premature newborns who may face deadly problems without it. Interim director of the PCH Women’s Center Natalie Kemp says breast milk gives infants the best chance at a healthy start:
“Those premature infants, they can get what we call necrotizing fasciitis. That affects their bowel and their belly. So when you give human milk instead of formula, that can mitigate that risk and give them the best start.”
Mothers who donate their excess milk are also giving peace to parents in the most stressful times. Delivery nurse Jessica Johnson shared how donor milk meant the world to her and her premature twins:
“Almost a year ago today, I gave birth to twins at 33 weeks by c-section. If you know anything about preterm c-sections and stress, it’s not the best for your milk production. Thankfully, donor milk was an option for us, and that helped bridge that gap, and their preemie bellies were very grateful… Now they’re chunky monkeys and doing so well. So we were just so blessed that that was an option for us.”
WVU Medicine Lactation Consultant Brooklyn Mathena said that access to donor milk is an invaluable asset for the region, and she’s grateful that she can help make it happen:
“I get really emotional about it because it is such an amazing process that we get to give back to the community. But also these babies—even though they can’t say it in words—they appreciate it so much because when their mommies can’t give it to them at the time, they have someone else who has given to them and they care about them…”
To learn more about the program or become a donor, visit midatlanticmilkbank.org/donate.
