This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah reached a milk milestone this month.
Nursing women have donated more than one ton of breast milk to a nonprofit milk bank since the University of Utah opened its milk donation center in February.
Christy Porucznik, co-director of the donation center, was excited to reach the milestone — the donations technically topped out at 2,300 pounds, slightly more than a ton — especially because the supplies came from roughly 30 women. The milk is sent to the Mothers' Milk Bank in Denver.
"It's not like this is hundreds of people that are contributing a little bit. We tend to have women who have a whole lot and they're donating their whole freezer stash," she said.
In the coming year, she hopes to better advertise and attract more donors.
The need is there, says Jean Drulis, president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, which accredits 11 nonprofit milk banks in Canada and United States, including the one in Denver.
The milk is sold to hospitals — for about $4.50 an ounce — to give to babies who are born prematurely, are twins or triplets, or who have an illness. Mothers can also seek the milk. But all babies must have a prescription. A mother's low milk supply is a valid reason for a prescription, Drulis said.
The donated milk is meant to augment a mother's own supply or to supplement formula.
"We're very much in need of milk donors nationwide to keep up with the growing demand," Drulis said Wednesday. "Our hope is it's temporary with these moms and their supply comes up to where they don't need the donor anymore."
Last year, about 3,000 women donated 112,500 pounds of milk to 10 milk banks in the association.
Porucznik said many of the Utah donors are working mothers who pump more than they need. Surprisingly, others are mothers of babies who are staying in the neonatal intensive care unit.
While often those mothers need the donated milk, some produce more than their infant needs. And since human milk changes composition to match the age of the infant, the mothers don't keep the extra supply, Porucznik said.
But that doesn't mean that milk can't be used elsewhere. The milk banks can match the milk to the age of the needy baby. For example, milk from a donor whose baby was premature will be given to a premature baby. The banks also can provide milk for lactose-intolerant infants from a woman who doesn't eat dairy.
Donors are screened and tested to ensure they don't have viruses such as HIV and are in good health. The milk is pasteurized to kill viruses while preserving its immune properties and nutrition.
A California company recently started targeting Utah to give to Helping Hands Milk Bank, which takes the donated milk and sells it to hospitals for a profit. But Porucznik doesn't believe Prolacta Bioscience has made a dent in her nonprofit center's supplies.
How to help
P To donate human milk, contact the University of Utah Breast Milk Donation Center at 801-587-3315 or milkdonation@utah.edu. The center is located at the U.'s Redwood Health Center, 1525 W. 2100 South, Salt Lake City.