Mothers' Milk Bank Austin

Saving Lives in Deep Water During the everyday hustle and bustle of life we often fail to recognize–outside of perhaps a few viral social media links or videos–the compassion and impact others have on our everyday world. However, in the aftermath of a natural disaster our awareness of acts of kindness change. Media coverage shifts from alarms of the impending disaster to stories of resilience, courage, persistence, and the overwhelming desire of many to do more for fellow humans. Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast as a Category 4 storm on August 25, 2017, dumping 40 to 60 inches of rain before moving out of the area as a tropical storm. Damage estimates are in the billions, and 77 people lost their lives. Storms do not discriminate–families and hospitals and city infrastructures were all affected by this extraordinary act of nature. “No one knows what to expect,” said Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin (MMBA) milk donor and mom, Angela Stripling. “At best you just lose power, at...

  When you make the choice to donate - go through the phone screening, fill out the paperwork, get your blood drawn, pump extra milk - you are working to save infants like, Andrew. Andrew survived a preterm birth, multiple birth defects, and a long battle in the NICU but, because of donor human milk from MMBA, was able to grow and thrive. Andrew's Mom, Anna, brings us through every step of their incredible journey. Thank you Anna for choosing to share. "At my son Andrew’s 21 week anatomy ultrasound, I was informed that he most likely had a condition called esophageal atresia (EA), which is a disconnection of the esophagus to the stomach. My doctors couldn't tell for sure if that was going on or how much of a gap in disconnection it was, but all indicators pointed toward this birth defect. It was difficult to hear the news of this, but I went ahead with every hope that it was correctable and that he would be okay. He had no apparent markers for anything else at that ...

© Texas Department of State Health Services. Photo used with permission. Breastfeeding offers so many benefits to both mom and baby, but it can be hard work! Before many women even have the time to get the hang of breastfeeding, they are often met with new challenges as they return to work. Like needing to pump during the workday to maintain their milk supply. But these challenges can be made easier with the help of employers. Providing basic arrangements that allow women to comfortably express and store breast milk when separated from their babies during the workday is one way to make things a little easier for breastfeeding moms. Keep reading to learn about what the Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite Program is doing to help moms succeed in meeting their breastfeeding goals and how you can get involved in supporting a breastfeeding-friendly culture in the workplace!        Texas Mother-Friendly Worksite Program The Texas Mother Friendly Worksite Progr...

Meet donor recipient baby Camila.   She was born full term at 6lbs. 13 oz. but, just after her cord was cut, she was immediately whisked away from her family by the doctors.  After 6 hours and multiple doctor examinations and opinions, Camila was diagnosed with a very rare condition called Total Anomalous Pulmonary Vein Connection, a congenital defect of the pulmonary veins , and needed immediate open heart surgery. Her lungs were filling up with fluid and her kidneys, liver, spleen, and stomach were being damaged.  It was recommended that she go to a hospital in Dallas or Houston but, with flooding in Houston and tornadoes in Dallas, they had no choice but to transport her by helicopter to Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin.  Every second counted and the doctors didn’t expect her to live.  After she arrived in Austin and doctors repaired her heart, her chest had to be left open for 10 days to ensure that her heart and lungs were functionin...

I'm a teacher and I got lucky enough to give birth to that perfectly timed “late-spring teacher baby” (summer break=extended maternity leave!) I heard from a lot of friends who struggled to keep their milk supply going once the school year started, so I did everything I could to boost mine over the summer—I started pumping and hand expressing weeks before I went back to work. Well, when the school year started, I found out I'd done a little too good a job. The baby didn't like the bottle much, so he would nurse all night and all weekend (thus further boosting my supply) but take very little during the day. I had a great freezer stash but never touched it—most days I was freezing ten or twelve ounces more than he was drinking. After a few weeks of hoarding, I was running out of freezer space. That was when I heard about Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin. I could see my own baby growing and thriving on mama's milk, and it seemed like a profound blessing to be able to share...

2016 HMBANA Conference: Learning About the Science of Milk Banking By Julia Weatherby Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin Board of Directors Did you know there is so much research and science specific to milk banking that there is an entire conference devoted to it? Every two years, the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) hosts an international conference on donor human milk and milk banking. This year, the two-day conference was held in Orlando, Florida. Five people from the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin attended, including myself. I was attending for the first time. Other attendees and speakers included people from other milk banks, researchers, neonatologists, and other experts in nutrition, lactation and health. While the conference was only two days long, it was packed full of educational and inspiring presentations. The conference had scientific presentations, as well as talks about social and public policy issues. We heard about the status of milk b...