Mothers' Milk Bank Austin

Today marks the eighth week of my volunteer position at the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin—I have found a new passion. I heard about the Milk Bank through Kim Updegrove, Executive Director. I showed interest as a potential volunteer and within a week I booked my first shift. What brought me here was no coincidence. I am constantly amazed by the sheer power of food and childhood nutrition. Whether from a research article or my own experiences with food allergies, good quality food significantly contributes to our optimal health and organ function. Now in college as a Nutrition-Dietetics major, I have a greater appreciation of how food works—it is not just the portion control or daily serving of greens that sets the foundation of a person’s health. Good nutrition, particularly during infancy, is one of the most crucial factors that determine long-term immunity, growth and development. Naturally, breast milk acts as a main source of food for newborns. It can also save a baby’s life if...

ADVICE FROM THE EXPERT! • Breast stimulation normally begins soon after birth. Babies may be sleepy the first day. From then on, newborns breastfeed 8-12 times a day. Breast stimulation on Day 2 is important to prevent delays in your milk coming in. If complications cause delays, protect your breastfeeding options by following 3 Rules : • Feed the baby (hand-expressed or pumped colostrum or donor milk) • Protect the Milk Supply (hand express and pump every 3 hours) • Protect breast focus (skin-to-skin holding, use breast as pacifier) • Colostrum (the first milk) protects the baby from infection and prevents excess weight loss. Hand express and spoon feed it to help wake a sleepy baby so you can practice breastfeeding. • Rent a hospital grade electric breast pump if there will be a delay in the baby being able to breastfeed. Double pump for 12-15 minutes at least 8 times during every 24 hours. Hand expressing increases milk supply in combination with pumping and skin-to-skin...

Today kicks off National Breastfeeding Month and here at the Milk Bank we could not be more excited! This month is going to be chock full of fun and educational events that will bring more awareness to the importance of breastfeeding and non-profit milk banking. We will be bringing you valuable information all month and hope you will join us at our fabulous events in Austin! This is our month, let’s CELEBRATE!

I’m Emily Hoppe the newest member of the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin’s team.   As Outreach Coordinator, I’m excited to share the Milk Bank’s mission with the community, and raise awareness of the critical need for milk donors .   I can’t wait to hear your stories and work with donors, both current and former, to spread the word about the Mothers’ Milk Bank.   It has been amazing to see the excitement and energy that milk bank supporters have for the mission.   Last year 480 incredible mothers donated their extra milk to MMBA, and together they helped save the lives of premature and ill infants in 80 hospitals across 15 states!   I’m thrilled to announce the Milk Donor Alumnae program is up on its feet again and ready to find new Milk Bank Ambassadors and reconnect with past members.   Donors and retired donors make the most amazing spokespeople for the Mothers’ Milk Bank and are an important link to the community of potential new donors who can con...

Sometimes it seems that life is an uphill struggle, filled with uncertainty. Yet, there are so many things to be thankful. One of the things I am thankful for this year is something that actually gives me more hope for our future. I am reminded daily through my job that people do believe in community and selfless acts of kindness. Since beginning my job as Donor Coordinator for the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin, my perception of my position and where I work has changed immensely. In the beginning, I knew a bit about the Milk Bank but not the entire story. I knew we gave donor milk to babies whose moms could not provide it themselves. Being a huge proponent of breastfeeding, it took me a while to digest that we specialize in a particular population of babies: the most medically needy. These babies require pasteurized milk for their safety. If the tiniest baby has even the remotest chance of survival, we have to ensure complete and utter safety to give them that chance. I app...

When I received the call from the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin that they would like me to come in for an interview, I was ecstatic. What made the call even more exciting for me was that I had applied for the Office Assistant position, but they wanted to know if I would be interested in the Donor Coordinator position that was also available. Upon learning that this would be a job that meant I worked closely with donors to help them through the screening process, I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do. Having been with the Mothers’ Milk Bank for over a year now, my job has not lost any appeal to me at all. Every day I meet new amazing women who are willing to make an incredible donation to help out others. We laugh and cry together and share anecdotes about our experiences. I have interviewed everyone from doctors, lawyers, SAHMs, WAHMs, entrepreneurs, retail workers, moms using WIC, unemployed moms, bereaved moms, students, professors, charitable organization directors, deacons, an...

What a whirlwind the month of August was as we celebrated World Breastfeeding Month! While we work tirelessly all year long to spread the word about breastfeeding and milk banking, MMBA took full advantage of this dedicated and special month to do even more! We kicked off the month with a bang thanks to our friends at the local Austin WIC (Women Infants and Children) Clinics—we had the opportunity to attend not one, but TEN Prenatal and Breastfeeding fairs that they were hosting! What a great chance for us to meet with new moms and tell them more about how to become a milk donor. Speaking of WIC—our Outreach Coordinator, Kara White, attended the annual Breastfeeding Reception hosted by one of our WIC depot locations in Bryan/College Station. They were so excited to hear that mothers from their community have provided over 36,000 meals for premature babies! We also officially opened a new milk collection site at Mom’s Place Breastfeeding Clinic at the North Austin WIC office which will ...