When it comes to feeding your baby, nothing's better than mother's milk. Premature or sick babies, who benefit most from mother's milk, are often the ones whose mothers need help supplying this milk. For these babies, pasteurized human milk is far superior to formula, and this is where you can help. Studies show babies receiving donor milk compared to those on formula:

• Were less likely to suffer fatal conditions
• Had much lower rates of infection
• Spent less time in the hospital after birth
• Were more likely to grow and thrive

As a breastfeeding mother, you can produce far more milk than your baby needs and if you donate that milk, you could save the life of a fragile newborn. Your breast milk becomes a gift that lasts a lifetime. If you would like to donate your extra breast milk to a baby in need, we can help!

The Greater Ozarks Regional Mother’s Milk Depot is the first human milk collection site affiliated with the Heart of America Mothers' Milk Bank (HAMMB) at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, one of 13 such milk banks in North America. Once a mother has completed the necessary health screening and is approved to donate milk, she can bring her milk to the Milk Depot located at the Springfield-Greene County Health Department's WIC program office. Milk collected locally is shipped to the HAMMB for processing, pasteurization and distribution. Both CoxHealth and Mercy hospitals in Springfield provide donor human milk for premature infants in their neonatal intensive care units, and our hospitals are given priority status because we are now able to collect donated milk in our community.

Women interested in starting the milk donor screening process can contact the Heart of American Mother's Milk Bank at (816) 932-4888 or via email at kcmilkbank@saint-lukes.org.

Have questions and want to speak to someone local? Contact the Milk Depot at (417) 864-1542. The Milk Depot is located at the health department's main WIC location, inside Jordan Valley Community Health Center, at 440 E. Tampa St. in Springfield.

 The Greater Ozarks Regional Mother’s Milk Depot is co-sponsored by the Greater Ozarks Regional Breastfeeding Coalition and the Springfield-Greene County Health Department. CoxHealth, Jordan Valley Community Health Center and Mercy Springfield are also partners in the Coalition.

Additional Resources

Human Milk Banking Association of North America
Milk Banking FAQs (via Mother's Milk Bank at Austin, Texas)
Milk Donation FAQs (via Mother's Milk Bank at Austin, Texas)
Quintessence Foundation