MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kelly CollinsJulie Alcorn
The Bawmann Group Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation/The Mothers’ Milk Bank
303.320.7790 303.839.6873
For Immediate Release
Mothers’ Milk Bank donations save Colorado baby
DENVER – September 2013 – While human milk is lauded for numerous health benefits, many women are unable to produce their own and turn to milk donations to save their babies’ lives. The Mothers’ Milk Bank (MMB), a nonprofit program of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation that collects surplus milk from healthy mothers and provides it to babies nationwide, saves babies’ lives every day with the help of its donors. One example is Gareth Egolf, a Colorado baby whose family credits human milk donations for saving his life.
Egolf was born in December with a posterior tongue tie which prevented him from taking milk from his mother. After violently rejecting recommended alternatives such as dairy and plant-based milk, he did not grow at a healthy pace through the first three months of life and his health quickly deteriorated. Weighing only 8.8 pounds at 11 weeks old and ranking at the bottom of the clinical growth chart, doctors diagnosed Egolf with failure to thrive – meaning Egolf’s weight was much lower than that of other babies his age.
Egolf’s parents found the MMB when their son was three months old. The day he began drinking the donated human milk Egolf’s health improved immediately. He has gained nearly 7 pounds and Egolf’s doctors are pleased with his progress. He continues to receive human milk provided by the MMB today at the age of eight months.
“It scares me to think about what would have happened to Gareth had we not found the Mothers’ Milk Bank,” said Mandy Egolf, Gareth’s mother. “I am so grateful for the improvements we’ve seen in him and for the donations we continue to receive that keep him healthy and growing. I encourage any mothers who produce surplus milk to consider donating. Their milk can save lives and Gareth is just one example of that.”
Egolf is a unique human milk donation recipient, receiving donations at home, three months into life, after no other option worked. Approximately 95 percent of the MMB donation recipients are hospitalized newborns with a medical need for donor milk.
Medical needs for donor human milk vary and include premature births, feeding intolerances, immune problems, hypoglycemia or jaundice, allergy prevention, and metabolic disorders. All donated milk is carefully screened and pasteurized for safety following the guidelines set by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. Through the process the milk’s unique immune properties, nutrition and many specialized components are preserved.
“Human milk is the best option when a baby’s mother cannot produce her own milk,” saidLaraine Lockhart-Borman, director of the MMB. “Human milk is the perfect food for infants but is much, much more! The milk provides a decreased risk of illnesses and infections later in life. At the Mothers’ Milk Bank, we strive to provide human milk to any baby who needs it. The human milk donations of generous, breast-feeding mothers allow us to grow our services, helping more babies and their families.”
Mothers who are interested in donating their human milk are encouraged to donate to the MMB. According to Lockhart-Borman, mothers who have more than enough milk for their own babies are ideal donors. For example, a mother might store more milk than her baby needs or she might have a premature birth and need to pump until the baby comes home from the hospital. Mothers interested in donating milk are encouraged to fill out the donation screening form on the MMB’s website, or call 303.869.1888.
Families who would like to learn more about receiving milk bank donations should talk to their baby’s doctor or call the MMB at 303.869.1888.
A nonprofit program of the Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation, the MMB is one of 12 operating donor human milk banks inNorth America. The milk is sent to 120 hospitals in 24 states supplying milk to babies across the country that have allergies to formula, certain illnesses or need human milk to thrive. For the past two years, the MMB inDenverprovided more milk to hospitals than any other milk bank. The MMB adheres to the strict guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. For more information on the MMB visit
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