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North Texas breast milk bank issues plea for new donors amid record demand during COVID-19 pandemic

Shortly after he was born at 37 weeks, Nico Stevens struggled to breathe.

The newborn was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, where he received oxygen and another critical lifeline: donor breast milk.

Nico is one of a growing number of newborns in North Texas who has relied on donor milk in recent months. As demand soars, Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas is asking breastfeeding mothers to consider donating their milk.

“Our freezers are not bare, but they are not overflowing, either,” said Amy Trotter, community relations director for the milk bank. “If you have extra milk, please do not let it go to waste. That milk can do a lot of good.”

Like blood banks reporting historic shortages, the Fort Worth-based nonprofit says the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on its supply.

Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas supplies pasteurized milk to premature and critically ill newborns at some 140 hospitals across North Texas and beyond. It is one of only two milk banks in the state, with the other located in Austin.

Doctors say human milk offers immune protection and is easier to digest than formula for medically fragile babies. It also lowers their risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, an intestinal disease that is a leading cause of death in neonatal ICUs.

In August, the bank dispensed 70,726 ounces of milk, the highest one-month total since it was founded in 2004. From January through August of this year, the milk bank has provided 490,555 ounces of milk, a 43 percent jump over the same period last year.

Medical professionals cited several reasons for the increase, including overall population growth and a baby boom this summer in at least one hospital. Andrews Women’s Hospital at Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center in Fort Worth reported a record 107 babies born in just 91 hours in June.

Health issues related to COVID-19 are also driving demand, said Dr. Susan Sward-Communelli, a Fort Worth neonatologist and the milk bank’s founding physician.

Some mothers have tested positive for the coronavirus and needed to quarantine, or they were simply too sick to breastfeed, Sward-Communelli said. For others, the stress of the pandemic limited their ability to produce milk.

“We have had some very, very sick moms these past few months,” Sward-Communelli said. “And there are extra health issues with the pandemic. Employment issues. Housing issues. These stressors can really affect a mother’s ability to make milk.”

For Nico Stevens, who was born in December 2020, the donor milk served as a bridge to breastfeeding during his 18-day stay at the NICU. His mother, Tiffany Stevens, returned to her Weatherford home with Nico’s twin, Knox, and commuted back and forth every day.

A few months after Nico came home, Stevens realized she was making enough milk to donate some of her own. Since June 2021, she has donated about 1,200 ounces and plans to continue for as long as she is able.

Tiffany Stevens, of Weatherford, holds her twins, Nico and Knox Stevens, who were born in December 2020. Stevens is donating breast milk to the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas, which provided milk to Nico, right, after he was born.
Tiffany Stevens, of Weatherford, holds her twins, Nico and Knox Stevens, who were born in December 2020. Stevens is donating breast milk to the Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, which provided milk to Nico, right, after he was born.(Stevens family)

“I couldn’t be in both places at once, so it was a huge relief that donor milk was an option,” she said. “I was thrilled to give back and help other babies thrive.”

Medical professionals say they do not foresee a significant drop in need. And because women can only donate for as long as they produce breast milk, recruiting new donors is particularly urgent.

“The women in our community have really stepped up, and we’re asking them to continue to do so,” Sward-Communelli said. “The pandemic is affecting every area of health care. As a physician, I’m concerned with how long we will be able to sustain this level of demand for donor milk.”

To donate milk, call 817-810-0071, email moms@texasmilkbank.org or fill out the online form to begin the screening process. Potential donors will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire and get a blood test. Once approved, donors can have milk picked up from their homes or they can drop it off at locations across North Texas.

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