Mount Auburn Hospital Partners with Mothers’ Milk Bank to Provide Donor Milk

Mount Auburn Launches Free Donor Milk Program for Newborns

Cambridge, MA — Mount Auburn Hospital now offers free donor breast milk to qualified newborn babies in a new partnership with the Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast.

“Breast milk is the gold standard for infant feeding and nutrition, and this program helps our babies get a healthy start in life,” said Nicole Grady, MD, FAAP, Interim Chair, Neonatology & Newborn Medicine and Medical Director, Newborn Medicine. “We are thrilled to be able to support the long-term health of our newborns with this important initiative.”

Newborn patients in the Special Care Nursery and the well-baby nursery may be eligible for free pasteurized donor milk if they weigh less than 1,500 grams (3.31 pounds), are born before 34 weeks gestation, have low blood sugar levels and need additional supplementation, have high bilirubin levels, or meet other criteria determined at the discretion of their physician and with the consent of the parents.

“Safely screened donor milk provides critical nutritional support for newborns and meaningful emotional relief for families,” said Deborah Youngblood, chief executive officer, Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. “Our partnership with Mount Auburn Hospital allows us to reach more families across our community and promote healthy beginnings for the babies who need it most.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, newborns who are breastfed have reduced risk of such conditions as asthma, severe lower respiratory disease, obesity, Type 1 diabetes, ear infections, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, gastrointestinal infections, and necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening condition for preterm infants.

“There is overwhelming evidence surrounding the nutritional advantages and potentially lifesaving benefits of breast milk in supporting the growth and development of newborns,” said Brett Young, MD, chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology. “This is another reason why 2600 babies are born every year at Mount Auburn Hospital. It is a great place to have a baby.”

About Mount Auburn Hospital

Mount Auburn Hospital was founded in 1886. A teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, its mission is to provide clinically excellent care with compassion and to teach students of medicine and the health professions.

Mount Auburn Hospital is a part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a healthcare system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.