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Louisiana's first human milk bank opens at Ochsner Baptist

Currently, Louisiana's milk bank at Ochsner Baptist distributes the milk to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) across the state with plans to expand the supply to ill, older infants across the state.
Image via Ochsner

NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Baptist has announced the opening of the of the state’s first human milk bank on Wednesday.

The milk bank accepts donated human milk following a detailed screening process for potential donors and it is then given to babies who are born prematurely and are not able to receive enough milk from their mother due to maternal conditions.

According to the hospital, babies born prematurely often require a hospital stay to continue to grow. The milk is beneficial to premature babies since it has several bioactive immune components, and essential proteins and fats that aren’t in commercial formula. The donated milk is then pasteurized and cultured.

In December 2015, the Mothers’ Milk Bank of Louisiana at Ochsner Baptist began as a depot site. The site collected donated human milk and sent it to the Mother’s Milk Bank at Austin. Last year, Louisiana’s three depot sites shipped over 429 gallons to the milk bank in Austin.

Now, the milk bank is fully operational and milk will no longer have to be shipped to Austin for processing and distribution. Currently, Louisiana’s milk bank at Ochsner Baptist distributes the milk to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) across the state with plans to expand the supply to ill, older infants across the state.

The milk bank at Ochsner Baptist makes Louisiana the 22nd state to open an accredited milk bank in the U.S.

For more information on the milk bank at Ochsner Baptist, including how to donate milk, click here.

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