Got Extra Breastmilk? NAP Now Houses a Breastmilk Collection Depot for the Mothers Milk

Got extra breastmilk? NAP now houses a breastmilk collection depot for the Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast

We’re happy to announce that NAP is housing a milk collection depot for the Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast in our Northampton office! The depot is managed by the Pioneer Valley Breastfeeding Coalition.

Donor milk banking is a way of providing human milk to premature and very sick infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Donor milk is provided as a supplement – not a replacement – for preterm babies whose mothers aren’t able to provide enough milk.

Donor milk can be life-saving for preterm infants. It is especially protective against a life-threatening condition called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which affects one in ten of the smallest preterm infants and is fatal in one of seven cases. Donor breastmilkhas been found to lower the risk of this condition by 79%. It also lowers hospital costs by reducing costs for care and shortening hospital stays.

Donor milk is rapidly becoming the standard supplement to mothers' milk for preterm infants in NICUs. Fifteen New England hospitals, including eight in Massachusetts, have made donor milk the standard care for their youngest and smallest patients.

Milk banks accept donations of milk from approved mothers who have more milk than their babies need. They rigorously screen milk donors, and then screen, pasteurize and dispense donor milk. Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast (formerly Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England) has been dispensing to over 30 hospitals and to families throughout the east coast since 2011.

Milk depots are places where approved milk bank donors can conveniently drop off their breastmilk for shipment to the milk bank. Theycreate awareness of the value of breastfeeding and of the life-saving power of donor milk, and increase the number of donors from the regions in which they’re located. The depot at NAP is the second to open in Massachusetts, and serves Western Massachusetts donors.You can read more about the depot and milk donation in this Daily Hampshire Gazette article.

Mothers who wish to donate milk can contact the Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast (; 617-527-6263; http://milkbankne.org/) to begin donor screening. Approved donors wishing to use the Northampton depot may contact Tanya Lieberman (; (413) 238-1909).