It will now be possible to donate breast milk in Yorkton. The Yorkton Milk Drop, operated with the NorthernStar Mother’s Milk Bank, in partnership with The Yorkton Area Parents for The Milk Drop, Yorkton’s Baby Friendly Initiative Working Group, and Sunrise Health Region, allows new mothers in the area to participate in milk donation, supporting newborns in need in western Canada.
Alanna Armbruster, volunteer with the Yorkton Area Parents for the Milk Drop, says that it has been a fundraising effort since June to get a milk drop in place in the city. She says that the donated milk will be used to feed babies who need special medical attention.
“First off, it gives moms an option to give their child human milk instead of formula. It’s given to our premature and most at risk infants who are in ICU... It’s like medicine.”
Pre-screened and eligible donor moms bring their milk to the drop at the Yorkton Regional Health Centre. The milk is then shipped to NorthernStar Mother’s Milk Bank in Calgary, where it is processed, pasteurized and distributed to babies in NICUs across the country. “It gets to the sickest and most at-need babies first.”
There has been demand for the service in the city, and Armbruster says that they hope it can grow and see more interest from Yorkton area moms.
“There is an increasing demand for human milk for our human babies. We are hoping there will be more than enough supply so that we will be able to get some back here in Yorkton... We all want the best start for our children, and a human milk depot in Yorkton facilitates that.”
Women who want to get involved can contact NorthernStar Mother’s Milk Bank, or contact the maternity ward at 306-786-0479 to get directed to the screening program.
