Medical Center becomes donation site for breastmilk

The Medical Center at Bowling Green has become just one of six donation sites across the state for human breastmilk.

The Milk Bank is a nonprofit organization that provides the use of safe, human milk for all babies, especially those premature or ill infants.

“It’s medicine. It’s not just milk,” said Barbara Ruedel, the Kentucky community educator for The Milk Bank. “That first four to six weeks after [birth] is called the fourth trimester because the gut is so immature, all it really should receive is breastmilk.”

Lactating women, who are approved, will be able to drop off their breastmilk at The Medical Center, where it will then be sent to Indianapolis to be bottled, pasteurized, tested for safety and then sent to hospitals or outpatients with prescriptions.

When Elizabeth Kemp, who works as a registered nurse at The Medical Center’s cancer unit, gave birth to her son Sawyer six weeks early, her milk supply was not yet active.

He had to receive care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for around three weeks and relied on donor milk for a period of days to keep him healthy.

“It was really important to me that Sawyer received the best nutrition, especially being premature,” Kemp said while holding her now healthy 14-month-old boy. “His body is small. It’s fighting infection and the breastmilk provides those antibodies.”

Kemp hopes this local donation site will inspire more mothers to give to those mothers in need, and she wants to return the favor as well.

“Hopefully, as my husband and I look forward to more children I’ll be able to pay it forward and donate back to help the cause,” she said.

To learn how to become a breastmilk donor, call The Medical Center at Bowling Green Lactation Department at (270) 796-2108 or The Milk Bank at (317) 536-1670. For more information on The Milk Bank donation and processing, click here.