LAFAYETTE — Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center is marking 10 years as a milk collection depot for the Mothers' Milk Bank of Louisiana during World Breastfeeding Week, while raising awareness about a shortage of donated breast milk for babies in the NICU.
Some mothers are unable to provide breast milk for their babies due to medical reasons, leaving NICU staff to rely on donations. Megan Peltier, a board-certified neonatal nurse practitioner at the hospital, said donor milk plays a critical role in the health of premature infants.
"We are able to use the donor milk, and it's essentially, you know, it's like a medicine for them because of their GI tracts, their immune systems are all very premature, and so it has qualities that helps with that," Peltier said.
Darlene LeBlanc, a board-certified registered nurse and lactation consultant in the NICU, said it is important for NICU babies to receive exclusively human breast milk, but donations do not always meet demand.
"There is a shortage. There are times when I call the Louisiana Milk Bank, and they do not have the type calorie milk that I need, and they're telling me to call Texas," LeBlanc said.
For information on how to donate, click here.
