Mother's Milk Bank

What happens when the mother of a baby can't breastfeed, or can't produce as much milk as her baby needs?

Because decades of research have established that human milk is the perfect food for infants, the Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa collects, stores, and distributes human milk to those who need it.

Allen Hospital gratefully accepts human milk donations in cooperation with the University of Iowa's Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa.

Through the milk bank, breastfeeding women have the opportunity to become human milk donors to help babies throughout Iowa, including our own NICU babies.

Human milk is the perfect food to help nourish premature and low weight babies. Infants that are provided human milk have:

• Less risk of SIDS, illness and infections
• Lower hospital admission rates
• Less gas, diarrhea and constipation
• Less asthma and allergies
• Less rashes
• Less childhood cancers
• Less diabetes and obesity
• Better oral development, brain development and motor skills
• Better response to immunizations
• Better protection against diseases that last into adulthood

All the donated milk collected and stored by Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa is pasteurized. After pasteurization, it is tested for bacteria. Most immunologic and nutritional components of human milk remain intact after pasteurization.

For more information about becoming a donor, go to www.uichildrens.org/mothers-milk-bank/