Advocate Condell Medical Center opens human milk depot

Advocate Condell Medical Center celebrated the opening of its milk depot June 11 in partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes.

The milk depot offers families a place to donate their excess breast milk to help babies in need.

Donated human milk is an important part of care for babies in Advocate Condell’s special care nursery, as well as for babies in the postpartum units when mothers want to breastfeed their babies but are struggling with low supply, poor latch or other challenges. It also can be used in cases of adoption or surrogacy.

Donated breast milk provides numerous health benefits in the absence of the mother’s milk, including infection-fighting factors, active growth and development hormones, improved digestion and ideal nutrition.

“Donated breast milk has improved the lives of countless babies at Advocate Condell since we began receiving milk from Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes in 2016,” Courtney Sensenig, lactation consultant at Advocate Condell, said in a news release. “Now, generous families in the community will be able to come directly to our hospital to give this precious resource and support other parents and their newborns.”

Among the donors is Jessica Neumeier of Libertyville, who donated 700 ounces of frozen excess milk during the milk depot’s grand opening event.

“Donating breast milk is a great way to support other parents,” Neumeier said in the release. “It is convenient for me to donate at the Condell milk depot since I am already coming to the hospital once a week for the parent support group.”

All donors are thoroughly screened and approved through Milk Bank WGL. Donations are picked up by Milk Bank WGL and taken to the processing facility where the milk is tested, combined and pasteurized to eliminate viruses and bacteria. After pasteurization, the milk is tested again for safety and then distributed to hospitals, including Advocate Condell.

“Donor milk is lifesaving for medically fragile babies,” Amber Barnes, clinical manager at Milk Bank WGL, said in the release. “Many of the smallest patients’ care plans rely on this essential nutrition. The families that are able to donate are superheroes.

“Advocate Condell establishing a milk depot is an amazing community asset for our generous donors.”

Those interested in becoming an approved donor can visit milkbankwgl.org for more information. Once approved, milk can be donated at Advocate Condell’s milk depot from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Donors may call (847) 990-5403 if they have questions or want to let the lactation consultant know they are coming to make a donation.