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Surplus mothers’ milk can be lifesaving for some infants

GUILFORD  (Shoreline Times) >> In addition to breastfeeding her two sons, Jacqui Penda fed and nurtured thousands of babies through her donation of 2,452 ounces of breast milk to the breast milk depot.

 

“You figure a newborn baby maybe takes a half ounce a feeding, if that, a NICU baby,” says Jan Ferraro, Acelleron Medical Products director of education for Connecticut.

 

“So you take 2,400 ounces, that’s 4,800 babies that she took care of,” she says. “That’s incredible.”

 

The first Connecticut milk depot opened a year ago in Guilford’s Acelleron office. It partners with the nonprofit Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast (MMBNE) to make breast milk available to babies in need.

 

Babies might receive donor breast milk because of preterm birth, failure to thrive, malabsorption syndromes, allergies, feeding/formula intolerance, immunologic deficiencies, pre- or post-operative nutrition and infectious diseases, according to http://milkbankne.org.

 

To date, the depot has donated over 5,500 ounces to feed babies across the state, yet at this time their freezer is empty, says Ferraro.

 

Penda, of Branford, encourages others to get involved with this life saving program. While she says the screening process takes about three weeks it is well worth it in the long run and incredibly gratifying.

 

“As long as your child’s being fed and they’re gaining (weight) and they’re taken care of, obviously their needs come before, but if you’re at a point where you’ve got extra to spare and it’s sitting in the freezer and you may not use it, I’d say, ‘Go for becoming a donor’ because it’s so rewarding,” says Penda.

 

“It’s fulfilling,” she adds. “It’s literally a labor of love because it is extra, but in my opinion there’s people in need and things could always be worse for you. You could be that person someday, so it’s nice to know that there are people out there doing this just out of the goodness of their hearts.”

 

Milk donor screening is modeled after blood donor screening and includes a health history, physician paperwork and a blood test. Milk from mothers who pass the screening is then pasteurized and, before being dispensed, tested again.

 

Hospitals that use MMBNE donor milk include Bridgeport Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Hospital of Central Connecticut, Manchester Memorial Hospital, St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center and Yale-New Haven Hospital.

 

Faye Klein, of Fairfield, experienced firsthand how important human milk donation is after her daughter, Reese, was born prematurely. Klein’s type 1 diabetes made it difficult to nurse immediately after giving birth and Reese had an adverse reaction to formula.

 

Watching Reese, 2, run around, playing and laughing, Klein talks about how critical breast milk donation was during her daughter’s first three weeks of life in the NICU unit.

 

“It was life saver for her at that point,” says Klein. “It was something that gave us a sense of relief because we were very stressed out about the fact that we had limited options and the fact that we could turn to donated milk was really our only option at that point.”

 

Naomi Bar-Yam, Executive Director of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast (MMBNE), applauds Ferraro’s work. “She’s one of my heroes,” says Bar-Yam. “She’s amazing.”

 

“A depot really helps moms to make it convenient for them to drop off their milk, our donor moms, and depots really put the word out in the community not only about the importance of donor milk, but just the importance of human milk and breastfeeding in general.”

 

“It raises the visibility of both of those things and that’s really important not only for the babies that we serve, but for babies that we hopefully don’t need to serve because moms are feeding their babies themselves.”

 

As Penda’s sons, Dylan, 3, and Luke, 1, play with Reese Klein, she reflects on her decision to donate her surplus of milk while nursing her youngest son for eight months. “It just makes me feel good knowing that there are people in need who are receiving this – it’s liquid gold – especially for preemie babies in NICUs,” she says.“Knowing that someone was out there benefiting from it just made me feel good, because I feel like it takes a village,” says Penda. “I just liked knowing that I was helping and I had it to give.”

 

Acelleron Medical Products is located at 2488 Boston Post Road, Suite 20A, Guilford. For more info call 203-804-5974; email jferraro@acelleron.com; visit online at https://lwtest.acelleron.com; or find them on Facebook Acelleron Medical Products.

 

Source: http://www.shorelinetimes.com/news/mother-s-milk-guilford-milk-depot-for-babies-in-need/article_d63422f4-f190-57da-a360-bf7120a62052.html

The first milk bank in the state has opened in Guilford. It’s a place where mothers in Connecticut can donate their breast milk.

There are women who share their extra milk with mothers who are having trouble keeping up with their baby’s feedings. Some even try selling it online. But it’s a bodily fluid, so health professionals say these options aren’t entirely safe.

“Certainly a cause to be concerned if they’re buying milk and they don’t know where they came from or that it’s never been tested,” said Jan Ferraro, a certified lactation counselor who is in charge of the Human Milk Depot in Guilford.

The milk bank opened February 25 inside Acelleron Medical Products, where Ferraro is now director of education. She said the company has partnered with the non-profit Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast to accept milk for babies who need it. Ferraro said before they accept a donation, women must pass a health screening and undergo a blood test.

“Once we get this milk, it gets shipped right to Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast, where it gets pasteurized and tested again,” Ferraro said. “They then put it in their database, and as hospitals need it, they tell Mother’s Milk Bank what they need — and then it gets forwarded onto the hospitals.”

Hospitals like St. Francis in Hartford. Alexandra Nagy is a registered nurse and lactation specialist there. She said the hospital has been getting donated milk for one year.

Even though the donations are pasteurized — heated slightly to kill bacteria which breaks down some components in breast milk– Nagy said the milk is still very beneficial for babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“It boosts the ability to fight infection including the infection of the bowel lining that a lot of pre- term babies or sick infants are at risk for,” Nagy said.

There are two dozen milk banks across the country and in Canada, according to the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

Source: http://wnpr.org/post/first-milk-bank-opens-connecticut#stream/0

GUILFORD, CT (WFSB) – A first of its kind breast milk depot is providing much-needed sustenance to infants in need.

The Human Milk Depot in Guilford said nursing mothers can donate their extra milk for premature babies whose mothers don’t produce enough. [ VIDEO ]

“At first I really didn’t know what the milk went to but then I found out it went to all the NICU babies and I was more than happy to donate as much breast milk as I could,” said Amy Farotti, a breast milk donor.

Farotti said she had her baby Charlotte10 months ago.

The married 30-year-old mother of two from North Branford said she’s a nursing mom who produces more milk than her baby needs. She said she felt compelled to not let the extra go to waste.

“I couldn’t even imagine being a woman watching their little baby grown in an incubator for six weeks or longer of their lives,” she said. “So if I can help in this little way, I am more than happy to.”

Farotti said she became the first donor to the first Human Milk Depot in Connecticut. It’s located inside Acelleron Medical Products on the Boston Post Road in Guilford.

The company already provides breast pumps and other support to nursing mothers.

Now, it will be a donation center that will collect and freeze the milk before it’s sent out to participating Connecticut hospitals.

“Sometimes the mom doesn’t produce milk or maybe she has multiple children and making that much milk is just difficult,” said Jan Ferraro, Acelleron director of education for Connecticut. “It’s for the tiniest babies who need the milk, that is who gets the milk.”

One of the biggest questions asked is about safety. However, organizers assure that this milk is tested more rigorously than blood is for blood donations.

“We test for HIV, HTLV, syphilis, hepatitis B and hepatitis C,” said Ann Marie Lindquist, director, Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast. “And then we test the milk again after it is pasteurized so we’re sure nothing has grown in it. So the milk is not distributed until we know that it’s safe.”

The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate human breast milk, but Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast, which will be processing the milk, adheres to strict guidelines including blood testing all donors before any donation can be made.

Yale Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse Jacqueline Ferraro said she has seen first hand the before and after of how breast milk can make all the difference in the world for a sick preemie.

“I’ve seen babies at 1 or 2 pounds started on breast milk go home at 5 pounds in a few months,” she said. “Which is kind of amazing to think they triple their size in just a couple of months and that they can go home and it’s really the help f the breast milk that gets them to that point.”

Eyewitness News asked the state Department of Public Health to weigh in on the safety of milk depots.

Spokesperson Marilyn Lonczak emphatically agreed that they’re valuable and lifesaving.

“I understand the safety concerns, because these are medically fragile infants receiving this, but actually human milk banking has had a long established safety record in North America since the early 1940s,” Lonczak said.

The depot is supplying milk to Yale-New Haven Hospital, St. Francis Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Connecticut and a list of others.

However, it is looking to expand to more hospitals and ultimately have more locations in other parts of the state.

For further information about donating or receiving milk, contact Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast at 617-527-6263 or log on to www.milkbankne.org.

Read more: http://www.wfsb.com/story/31377806/first-of-its-kind-breast-milk-depot-opens-in-connecticut#ixzz41xHd73rc

GUILFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – Got extra breast milk? You can help save the life of a newborn.

When a mother gives birth prematurely, sometimes she just can’t produce a milk supply right away. Research shows that human milk is the best prescription for human babies especially for premature and very sick babies.

That’s where donor moms step in. [ VIDEO ]

Amy Farotti is pumped, being the first donor mom in Connecticut, dropping off breast milk her 10 month old daughter Charlotte no longer needs.

She explained, “She might take an ounce or two during the day out of a sippy cup but really she’s eating solid foods while I’m at work.”

Acelleron, a company that provides breast pumps, opened a milk bank depot in Guilford.

It’s the first in the state so that mothers like Amy can donate their surplus breast milk.

“We have a depot in our Massachusetts office,” says Jan Ferraro who runs the milk depot, “And now we have one at our Connecticut office. So moms know where they got their pump from, now they know where they can donate any extra milk they have.”

“I didn’t realize that I could help so many babies with just what I do, naturally,” says Amy.

It’s all going to feed premature babies – struggling to survive.

“Human milk is life saving for these babies. It prevents a devastating disease called Necrotizing enterocolitis that can actually kill babies and human milk reduces the incidence of NEC by 79%,” says Ann Marie Lindquist with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

It’s the non-profit which distributes the life saving milk.

Ann Marie stressed, “Casual milk sharing, milk bought on the internet, that is not what this is. That’s not what this is. We test, we pasteurize, we provide milk for fragile babies.”

The process is similar to donating blood, she says, “We’re absolutely vigilant about making sure that the mother has no infections, that she is not taking medications that are inappropriate, we need to make sure she is in good health.”

Amy delivered 122 ounces of breast milk and there’s more of it at home.

“It’s not like they are drinking 6 to 7 ounces at a time,” says Jan, ” Sometimes it’s just an ounce. So if every baby drank an ounce — that’s 122 babies right there.”

Giving back to the most fragile — is important to the Farotti family.

“Why not?” says Amy, “If you have an over abundance of milk, why wouldn’t you?”

For more information, http://www.milkbankne.org/donate

Once a mom is an approved donor, email Jan Ferraro at jferraro@acelleron.com or call 203-804-5974 to set up a drop-off time.

It’s located at Acelleron Medical Products, 2488 Boston Post Road, Guilford

Source: http://wtnh.com/2016/02/25/got-extra-breast-milk-consider-donating-surplus/

By Jamie Ducharme | Boston Magazine, Hub Health | June 23, 2015, 4:04 p.m.

Melissa Bisesi always assumed she’d breastfeed her baby. But when her son Frankie was born at Concord’s Emerson Hospital in April with a condition that limited his tongue’s range of motion, it quickly became clear that nursing wasn’t in the cards.

“I, like many first-time moms, naively expected that breastfeeding would be both natural and easy for myself and my baby,” Bisesi says. “I felt like a bad mother for not being able to feed my son.”

Desperate and losing hope, Bisesi began to consider formula—until an Emerson lactation specialist told her about human donor milk. Without hesitation, Bisesi said yes.

“I understand that a lot of women who hear about donated breast milk think that it’s gross or in some way wrong,” she says. “In my mind there is nothing unusual about a human baby drinking human milk.”

Bisesi isn’t alone—human milk banks are more popular and widespread than ever.

Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast, a Newton-based non-profit milk bank, provides 50 hospitals on the East Coast—including Emerson—with pasteurized milk donated by women who have been pre-screened for diseases and other ailments that could affect the safety of breast milk. Executive Director Naomi Bar-Yam says the demand for donated milk has grown as information about nursing’s health benefits spreads.

“The research around the importance of human milk and the value of human milk and, on the opposite side, sometimes the harm that can be caused by giving babies things that are not human milk, various forms of formula, is really getting through,” she says.

In fact, the demand for donor milk has grown enough that Mother’s Milk Bank just opened a new donation center, Acelleron Maternal Health & Wellness Center in North Andover, and plans to open others in Connecticut and New Jersey.

Meg O’Neill, Acelleron’s director of lactation support, says women opt for donor milk over formula mainly for health reasons. “Breast milk is full of antibodies and vitamins and nutrients that are unable to be put into formula,” she explains. “There’s so much research being done about how it affects the lining of your gut, so it’s especially important for [fragile] babies who have this underdeveloped immune system.”

And donor milk isn’t just becoming more prominent for new moms looking to feed their babies; there’s also been an uptick in women looking to give milk. “If you’re somebody who has a desire to give back to your community and you have a newborn, you can’t really go to a homeless shelter to give your time, but you can add in an extra pumping session,” O’Neill says.

Mother’s Milk Bank has also seen an uptick in calls from women who want to donate. “Throwing out milk is very painful; you don’t want to have to do that,” Bar-Yam says. “[Women] see how important that milk is for their babies, and they really realize that they have a very special gift to share, and a unique gift.”

Bar-Yam says donated milk is typically only used for very fragile or premature babies, or by women who intend to breastfeed but can’t produce enough milk right away. Using it long-term is costly—roughly $500 for a week’s worth—and not always possible given supply limitations.

As for the gross-out element, Bar-Yam acknowledges that it exists, but says there’s no logical reason for it. “Not only do we have no problem with people drinking cow’s milk, we also have no problem with people accepting blood products when they need a blood transfusion,” she notes. “Why people get that ‘Ew, yuck’ factor is a good question.”

For her part, new mother Bisesi, who is now feeding Frankie herself, says she’d highly recommend donor milk to other struggling new moms.

“It can be a wonderful bridging option for women who are committed to breast-feeding but who, for whatever reason, have a rocky start,” she says. “It made a world of difference for me and I hope it will continue to do so for others.”

Original story link: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/health/blog/2015/06/23/donated-breast-milk-boston/

NORTH ANDOVER — Two companies joining forces to better serve customers are about to do some sick babies lots of good.

The newly merged Acelleron Maternal Health and Wellness, a distributor of breast pumps — as well as a provider of pre- and post-natal exercise programs, breast feeding and Doula services — recently opened the area’s first breast milk bank.

Working with Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast — a nonprofit organization operating under the guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America — Acelleron Maternal Health will collect milk from mothers, which is then pasteurized and donated to babies in need.

Now, local mothers who want to donate their milk have a nearby drop-off site, instead of requesting the shipping tools and sending it out to the milk bank’s Newton location themselves.

The path to this bank all started two years ago.

Preferred Home Health Care and Nursing Services, a home-care company based in New Jersey, bought Acelleron Medical Products, a pediatric nebulizer distributor in Andover.

Acelleron then started selling breast pumps along with the nebulizers. Jonathan Herman, chief operating officer of Preferred Home Healthcare, said Acelleron has become one of the top distributors of breast pumps since the merger.

Both Herman and Jason Canzano, director of Acelleron Medical Products, felt they needed to broaden their services to find more consumers — specifically expectant mothers.

“We wanted to be more than ‘Here’s your breast pump. See you later,’ ” Canzano said. “Then I came across a business called Maternal Health and Wellness.”

Maternal Health and Wellness of North Andover, owned by Suzanne Vecchi, offered pre- and post-natal exercise classes as well as Doula services.

Canzano connected with Vecchi, and formed an unofficial relationship where they recommended each other to their clients.

“Suzy saw instantly there was a need for this,” he said.

“My clients were really struggling to get their breast pumps,” added Vecchi, who now serves as Acelleron’s director of maternal wellness. “The timing was so right for that to happen.”

In March 2014, the two companies officially merged, and last August they moved into their new North Andover location.

“We feel we are far different than our other competitors,” Canzano said. “This is really something special here.”

Having a local drop-off site for breast milk donating will make a huge impact on milk connection for babies who are sick or otherwise unable to feed from their mothers.

“It makes it that much easier for (the nursing mothers),” Megan O’Neill, director of lactation support said.

Last year she attended an informational session on milk banking and thought it would be another great resource to provide the clients.

“I think it’s something on the rise now, and I’m glad we can be a part of it before it becomes really popular,” O’Neill said.

With moving into their new space, Acelleron Maternal Health and Wellness added several new services joining the milk bank. The variety of classes have expanded — including some for children. The company also incorporated a breast pumping room and a store that sells everything from designer breast pump bags to natural remedies for pregnant women.

Acelleron Medical Products and Acelleron Maternal Health and Wellness
16 High St. Suite 201, North Andover
978-738-9800
acelleron.com

ABOUT MILK BANKS
History: The first milk bank opened in Vienna, Austria in 1909. It was common for wealthy families, in earlier years, to hire a “wet nurse” who breast fed and took care of their babies. The first milk bank in America opened in 1911 at the Boston Floating Children’s Hospital, which is now a part of Tufts New England Medical Center.

How to become a donor: There’s a 10 minute phone interview to go over your medical history, followed by a blood test. Once approved, a milk pickup date is scheduled. All donors must agree to donate a minimum of 150 ounces of milk.

Who is eligible: Premature babies; babies with allergies, formula intolerance, immunologic deficiencies, or an infectious disease; babies who were adopted, have same-sex parents or have a mother who cannot produce enough milk, is medicated or has a chronic disease.

Source: Mother’s Milk Bank Northeast

As featured in Eagle Tribune: http://www.eagletribune.com/news/business/business-got-milk-local-company-accepting-mothers-milk-donations/article_217a9e76-2683-501a-ac20-dded2cfb02be.html

What is the Affordable Care Act?

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was signed into law by President Obama on March 23, 2010, helps make prevention affordable and accessible for all Americans by requiring health plans to cover preventive services and by eliminating cost sharing. Preventive services that have strong scientific evidence of their health benefits must be covered and plans can no longer charge a patient a copayment, coinsurance or deductible for these services when they are delivered by a network provider.”

What does it mean to me?

It means that commercial and private insurers are required to cover comprehensive lactation support and counseling from trained providers, as well as breastfeeding equipment for pregnant and postpartum women.

When did it take effect?

This benefit applies to non-grandfathered plans with renewals starting on or after August 1, 2012. Your insurance provider is your source to confirm if your plan has renewed. To find out what a grandfathered plan is click here.
http://www.healthcare.gov/law/features/rights/grandfathered-plans/index.html

Where can members purchase breast pumps covered under the ACA?

Expectant and postpartum mothers can buy a breast pump from any in-network durable medical equipment (DME) supplier. It is important to know that many insurance companies require that you see an “in-network” or “participating” DME supplier. In-network simply means that the DME supplier has made an arrangement with the insurance company to provide services to its members. In some cases, going to an out-of-network DME supplier may mean that your breast pump may not be covered at all, or that you may have to pay a higher copay than if you went to an in-network provider.

Will breast pumps be covered if purchased from a retail store?

Retail stores such as Buy Buy Baby, Babies“R”Us and Amazon.com are not DME suppliers, so breast pumps purchased from these types of stores are not covered. However, some self-insured plans may grant exceptions to purchase breast pumps from retail stores.

What does my insurance cover?

Changes to coverage will vary among health insurance plans. The first thing you should do is to call your insurance member services and find out if your plan has renewed and if so, are you able to obtain a breast pump covered at 100%. Most insurance companies offer a toll-free member services number that you can call with specific questions about your health plan. This number is typically found on the back of your card.

Is the coverage subject to deductibles and co-pays?

You should not be subject to any deductible or co-pay. However, there are some variations, depending on your insurance carrier and plan. In some cases, going to an out-of-network DME supplier may mean that your breast pump may not be covered at all, or that you may have to pay a higher copay than if you went to an in-network provider.

Is a prescription required?

When purchasing a breast pump through a participating DME supplier, most if not all health insurance companies are requiring a physician’s prescription.

Are all types of breast pumps covered?

Standard manual and electric breast pump models are covered for purchase at 100%, up to the amount of the contracted allowable rate.

Are breast pump supplies covered?

Yes, breast pump supplies are covered with no cost share for mothers with expanded benefit when purchased from an in-network DME supplier.

How do I get a breast pump through Acelleron Medical Products?

When it comes to helping expectant and postpartum mothers get their breast pump, Acelleron tries to make the experience as easy and hassle-free as possible. Here’s how the ordering process works:

1. Fill out our Breast Pump Request Form.
2. Fill out Breast Pump Order. The form must be completely filled out, signed by you and prescribing physician/nurse practitioner.
3. Completed form should be mailed, uploaded to our secure portal or faxed to Acelleron at 866-615-6082.
4. Once fax is received and insurance benefit is verified, we call to help you pick out a breast pump that will best suit your breastfeeding needs.
5. We ship the breast pump directly to you, free of charge!

Why order your breast pump through Acelleron?

• We verify and bill your health insurance company.
• Free shipping.
• Our breast pumps have been carefully selected from only the highest quality manufacturers.
• We are committed to providing you with safe, effective and trouble-free products.

What breast pumps are available from Acelleron?

Acelleron carries double electric breast pumps from top brands in the industry, including Ameda and Medela. View our entire inventory of breast pumps.

Can I return my breast pump?

Breast pumps are non-refundable.