SPOKANE, Wash. — Some of Providence Sacred Heart’s tiniest and most vulnerable patients now have a new resource to help them grow and thrive.
The medical center has opened a new breast milk donation site to help ensure premature and critically ill babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) receive the nutrition they need to grow strong and healthy.
Jen York knows firsthand the importance of donated breast milk. When her first child was born and rushed to the NICU, it was a terrifying experience for her family.
“I mean it’s life-changing. No parent ever wants to see their child in the hospital,” York said.
Adding to that stress, her son relied on breast milk donations during his NICU stay.
“Having that donor milk and knowing that my baby was fed and getting the nutrition he needed to get healthy just made all the difference,” York said.
When York’s second baby was born and she was able to produce more breast milk than needed, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with the excess.
“I’ve felt it. I know those emotions. And so every time I send out a shipment of milk, I know what that means for these moms and these families who have these babies that are sick,” York said.
The Sacred Heart NICU uses approximately 1,600 ounces of breast milk each month to feed premature babies
The new donation center makes the process simple for mothers like York. Donors can drive up to the Women’s Health Center and drop off their milk donations with staff members without having to navigate through the hospital.
Catherine Lindsey, a NICU dietitian at Sacred Heart, said the hospital is motivated to promote donations because demand is sometimes higher than supply.
“Once in a while, we get a notification that we aren’t going to be able to fill your total order. So we are very motivated to promote the donations as much as we’re able,” Lindsey said.
For more information and to get set up to donate breast milk, visit www.mothersmilk.org.
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