(Salt Lake City, UT) – Everyone knows mother’s milk is best
for babies, but some moms who deliver prematurely may need other moms’ or
outside help. That’s why the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) is partnering
with the Utah Breastfeeding Coalition on the first Miracle Milk Mother’s Play
Day Stroll.
Judy Harris, MPH, RD, IBCLC, State Breastfeeding Coordinator
with the UDOH WIC Program says “We want Utahns to know there is an ongoing
urgent need for human milk.” Harris says babies born early or with other health
or GI problems are in particular need of human milk due to its wonderfully
specific properties. If their mom is not yet producing enough milk, or has
other complications making them unable to breastfeed, other moms can help
out. “Banked mother’s milk is truly a
lifesaver,” says Harris.
The Mothers' Play Day Stroll is Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m.
– 12:00 p.m. at Salt Lake’s Liberty Park. It starts at the Rice Terrace
Pavilion on the northeast corner of the park. The stroll goal is to raise
awareness and funds.
Utah moms currently donate at four collection sites in Utah,
which send the milk to Denver for processing; some of that milk comes back for
use in Utah. The newly-formed Salt Lake City non-profit Mountain West Mothers’
Milk Bank is asking for milk donations to prepare for the needed infrastructure
to open the physical bank in 2016. This will make getting milk easier and
faster. “It’s also great that our milk stays with our babies, and it will save
Utah health dollars,” said Harris. “It’s well documented that breast milk can
make the difference in life or death for premature babies, particularly those
with a dangerous condition called “necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).”
NEC is a costly digestive disorder that occurs frequently in
preemies and is one of the leading causes of death for babies born too soon.
For more information on the Mother’s Milk Bank, contact Judy
Harris at 801-538-6122 or Meghan Reed at 801-696-5787.
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The mission of the
Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health through preventing
avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death, assuring access to affordable,
quality health care, and promoting healthy lifestyles.
