Humans have been wet nursing for thousands of years, and it’s been four decades since the World Health Organization and UNICEF stated that donated human milk should be the first alternative if a biological mother is unable to breastfeed. Still, there are only 32 accredited nonprofit milk banks on the continent.
Austin is one of the world’s lucky cities, being served by Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin (MMBA) since 1999. In January, MMBA hit a milestone: the nonprofit has dispensed more than 10 million ounces of human milk, they announced in a press release.
In 2023, MMBA screened and approved more than 1,000 new milk donors, 30% of whom were in the Austin area, Executive Director Kim Updegrove told the Chronicle. The milk bank provided milk to neonatal intensive care units in 17 hospitals, as well as 443 outpatients.
Grace Collins was one of those outpatients. Now 2 years old, the little Austinite was born on New Year’s Eve of 2021. “She’s one tough cookie,” her mother, Kristel, told the Chronicle. “She entered the world mid-pandemic and remained in the NICU for 20 days before getting to come home.” After undergoing many tests, Grace was diagnosed with Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome (RTS) and left the hospital on oxygen, relying on G-tube feeding supplies.
As Grace was allergic to many formulas, parents Kristel and Demetrius turned to MMBA. For the next 17 months of her life, Grace drank donated milk via G-tube. Now, she no longer needs breast milk and she’s no longer fed via the tube. “She is cruising and pulling up to stand,” Kristel said.
“I pumped and breastfed for seven months until my body gave up due to stress after my son’s third hospitalization. Having MMBA milk for my son has relieved that stress.” – Houston mother Caylee Croft
Just north of Houston, Caylee Croft’s baby boy struggled too. “It’s been a lifesaver for my son,” she said. His kidneys had to be removed at just 2 months old and he’s been on dialysis every day since as they await a transplant. Breast milk is essential for his growth because most formulas are “not renal-friendly,” Croft said. “I pumped and breastfed for seven months until my body gave up due to stress after my son’s third hospitalization. Having MMBA milk for my son has relieved that stress.”
On the other side of the coin are the donors – women like Leigh Rappaport in Houston, who has given more than 25 gallons while breastfeeding her three children since 2017. “It’s almost like a competition with myself honestly,” Rappaport says, laughing. “I’m not sure that the word is out. It’s a very simple process to be approved: It’s an interview, a blood test, and some documents from the doctor. Being a mom is such a challenging thing and I’m just happy to be able to help in this small way, and with love. I’m doing this [pumping] for my own child out of love, and dropping it off, and they’re doing the work on the back end. It’s the coolest thing.”
Despite a bump in donors in 2022 during formula shortages, the milk bank is always in need of milk donors and financial support, Updegrove said. “We couldn’t save lives without the dedication of the mothers who donate their milk, the financial supporters who make sure we have the resources to never turn away a baby in need, and the dedicated staff and volunteers who make our work possible.”
This article appears in January 26 • 2024.
