One of my favorite resources here in Indiana (and beyond!) is the Milk Bank. The Milk Bank is an Indianapolis-based non-profit that works to make human milk available for more babies. Given the incredible benefits of human milk, especially for babies who face a lot of medical challenges, this work is vital, especially in Indiana (which had the ninth highest infant mortality rate in the U.S. in 2020, the most recent year of data available). If you’re looking to find human milk for your child, to donate human milk, or to financially support an organization working to improve infant health, the Milk Bank is a fantastic place to look.
I first came in contact with the Milk Bank years ago when I was helping a bereavement client find places to donate her milk. The Milk Bank has a fantastic bereavement program, where they do amazing things with milk from bereaved parents, regardless of medications or medical conditions that might sometimes make someone ineligible to donate milk. This milk can be given to babies in need or can be used for research to make better human milk replacements.
So, here’s the big news: Memorial Hospital in South Bend just recently became an express depot for the Milk Bank! This means that the process of donating or purchasing milk has been streamlined for folks in the Michiana area. If you want to learn more about the newly upgraded depot, check out the South Bend Tribune article on it here. (Finder’s credit goes to my husband.)
Photo by Lucy Wolski on Unsplash
Abby the Sociologist Doula 