Baptist Health Medical Center-Drew County is now accepting breast milk donations for their milk bank which is located in the Olivia Faith Beebe Nursery at BHMC-Drew County. The idea of the milk bank was no more than a great idea for nursing staff members like Kristen Smith a couple of years ago.
Smith, who is a big breastfeeding advocate, had two goals that she wanted to achieve but she wasn’t sure exactly to make them happen. She wanted to start classes on diabetes education and get breastfeeding back on board at the hospital.
“There were nurses that would help moms who wanted to breastfeed, but there was no one that would specifically come in and work with mom,” Smith said.
Smith was successful with the diabetes program, but she said that the breastfeeding program was still lacking.
That’s when Smith decided to talk to Jennifer Rowland, now an international breastfeeding lactation consultant, about helping her meet her second goal. At the time, Rowland wasn’t on staff, but she knew she wanted to help. She talked to Carol Neely, also a huge supporter of breastfeeding and a certified lactation specialist. In 2004, Neely allowed Rowland to volunteer and help teach breastfeeding classes while Rowland pursued her lactation consultant degree.
“My passion developed after the birth of my son Davin and my own breastfeeding journey,” Rowland said. “I’m very proud of how far the program has come. It’s taken a team of people and not just one person. A lot of hard work has gone into it and I’m so glad I got to play a small role in it.”
Smith said that she had the passion to get the program started, but Rowland had the education.
“Jennifer is the reason we got it going,” Smith said. “She really helped build the program.”
While Rowland is no longer at BHMC-Drew County, Rebecca Traugott is now on staff as an I.B.C.L.C.
Smith came up with the idea of having the hospital become the newest location for a milk bank when she saw a brochure about milk banks.
“I knew that Drew County needed one,” Smith said. “I knew it would be great because we have so many moms that deliver early, and their milk isn’t in yet. There are a lot of different issues that we could use donor milk for.”
Smith then called Tina Pennington at UAMS and together, they got the contractual part going.
Right now, in Arkansas, there are only four facilities where breastmilk can be donated: Conway, Fort Smith, Stuttgart, and now Monticello.
Madi Bonds, the Communications Coordinator at BHCM-Drew County, is currently working on getting publicity out for the milk bank.
As of right now, any breastmilk that is donated goes to the NICU at UAMS because that’s where the biggest need is. But as the information spreads around the state, UAMS will eventually have enough milk to meet their demand and BHCM-Drew County will get to keep the milk that is donated there.
“It’s kind of a process,” Smith said.
If you or someone you know is interested in donating, you can pick up a flyer with a QR code at the hospital. When you scan the code, you will be able to find out information and have questions answered.
Smith and Bonds were asked what the process entailed for someone to become a donor.
“You fill out a survey and a vial of blood is drawn,” Smith said.
“The approval time for the process doesn’t take that long,” Bonds said.
As soon as a mom is approved, she can start donating her breastmilk at any time.
The hospital received its first donation from a woman who saw a text that the hospital sent out about donation. She said her freezer was full and she wasn’t sure what to do with all of the milk so she decided to go through the approval process and donate what she had.
“This is something that can make a difference in your baby’s health,” Smith said.
For the staff of the hospital, the process is just as simple. They receive a freezer box that is sent from UAMS. The staff members then put the collected donated milk in the box and the frozen milk is protected and kept frozen. UAMS pays for the postage and even covers the cost of the electricity that is being used to keep the donated milk frozen. The entire program is completely free to the facility that is helping.
“Anyone can donate,” Bonds said. “They don’t have to be from Monticello. They can be from Dumas, Lake Village, Warren, Hermitage, anywhere in our area.”
“If moms that are breastfeeding want to know more about breastfeeding, we have our IBCLC,” Smith. “She’s working with Mainline. There are free classes, and she is willing to do one-on-one free classes.”
“Rebecca does consultations here,” Bonds said, speaking about the hospital. “Before birth, moms can come to see her, or they can come to see her after. If after the first week, breastfeeding doesn’t seem to be working out, they can come to see her, and she can help them work through their problems.”
Smith and Bonds want people to know that the hospital has many resources about breastfeeding.
If you or someone you know is interested in donating breastmilk, you can contact Baptist Health Medical Center- Drew County.
