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CONTACT: Naomi Bar-Yam 617-599-2902

Nationally Ranked Hospital Introduces Donor Human Milk to the NICU

Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) will team with The Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England (MMBNE) to receive donor human milk for its Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) as standard of care for babies born under 1500 grams (about 3.5 pounds), and less than 30 weeks (40 weeks is term). “Human milk is particularly important for premature babies. It builds their immune systems, provides growth factors, and the right nutrition. We are pleased to be giving our smallest babies the best care possible by giving them pasteurized donor milk, while the mother’s milk comes in.” said Tina Steele, RN, IBCLC in BWH’s NICU.

“This is putting into practice our knowledge that breast milk is not only nutritional but medicinal. That’s why the donor milk program is so important to us. We want babies whose mothers, for whatever reason, cannot produce fully for their babies, to have the nutritional and medicinal qualities of human milk,” commented Dr. Robert Insoft, Medical Director of the NICU at BWH. “Our new donor milk program provides the opportunity for our smallest babies to receive the benefit of human milk feeding, during the first few days to weeks of life, for those instances where their own mother’s milk is not 100% available,” said Deirdre Ellard, MS, RD/LDN at BWH.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England (MMBNE), located near Boston, is the only milk bank in New England. Some mothers have more milk than their babies need and donate it through the milk bank to other mothers and babies in need. Both donor mothers and the milk are carefully screened, and the milk is pasteurized. Milk banks operate under strict safety standards set by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. “We are delighted to be working with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to provide donor milk to the babies and families they serve,” said Naomi Bar-Yam, Executive Director of MMBNE.

Brigham and Women's Hospital has a 46-bed, level-3 Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), the largest in Massachusetts, and cares for approximately 3,600 infants annually. BWH’s NICU has a nationally recognized multidisciplinary team of neonatologists, nurses, lactation consultants, respiratory therapists, dietitians, and social workers who provide care for newborns of all gestational ages.

The use of banked donor milk in the NICU is the latest of many baby and family care innovations at BWH. The NICU facility features state of the art equipment as well as four family rooms. Kangaroo Care, the practice in which parents hold the infants skin-to-skin for long periods of time, is widely practiced. In addition, on-site social workers provide families with support, counseling, and coordination of other supportive resources.

The Mothers' Milk Bank of New England is responding to the growing recognition of the importance of breastfeeding and human milk in infant health. Breastfeeding is encouraged by physicians and other healthcare providers. It has been featured in recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Oprah Magazine, in March 2009, had a feature article on the importance of milk banking. “The increase in use of banked donor milk is part of a larger movement that is recognizing the importance of breastfeeding and human milk for our most vulnerable infants,” said Bar-Yam.

Mothers' Milk Bank of New England
PO Box 60-0091 Newtonville, MA 02460
Office phone: 617-527-6263
Fax: 617-527-1005