May Updates

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proclaimed May 19, 2023 as Human
Milk Day in the State of New York in conjunction with the observance of World Human Milk Day! For years to follow, this will be a day to honor of the donation that breastfeeding mothers make to other mothers and their babies in the State of New York.

In honor of World Human Milk Donation Day, HMBANA member milk banks invited donors to accept the #milkdropchallenge. If you participated in the challenge, thank you for spreading the word!

NYMB works closely with the local Volunteer New York! RISE (Readiness thru Integrated Service Engagement) Program. RISE connects adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) to nonprofits in the community where they can build skills while volunteering.

Partnering with RISE since 2018, NYMB has benefited from their many services to help us get milk to the babies who need it. We’ve had a number of different teams here doing everything from cleaning our milk trays, collating shipping packets, preparing shipping boxes, and pairing baby blankets with hats and gift wrapping them. Recently, Our Director of Community Relations Roseanne nominated volunteer Tamisha for a leadership award!

Tamisha shows a willingness to step up and lead the team she works with at NYMB every Monday morning. She is a talented poet and artist, and we are happy to have her! Here she is pictured with Roseanne, and with her adult mentor, Lakesha. Congrats, Tamisha!

Say hi to our Lab Techs Wilca, Liz and Marie!

To celebrate Mother's Day, we sent our Milk Depots flowers and a note of appreciation.

An NYMB Milk Depot is a convenient collection site for our approved donors to drop off their milk. For a complete list of our drop off sites, click here.

Necrotizing enterocolitis is a devastating intestinal disease that affects vulnerable infants during their first weeks and months of life. Research has shown that when babies are fed a human milk diet, the risk of NEC is significantly reduced. Let's raise awareness about NEC this month and expose the scars, the trauma, and the stillness that follow a diagnosis of the disease.

For more information about NEC and NEC Awareness Month, please visit NEC Society's page @nec.society or visit their website.

Read the full submission: "James was a 35-week preemie after I went into spontaneous labor. I knew that having a premature baby must be hard, but this experience was eye opening. We were one of the lucky parents in the room. James needed extra help to learn how to feed and grow, but only stayed 5 days in the NICU. 

Around us there were babies who couldn’t breathe on their own. A mother across the way who couldn’t produce enough breastmilk and cried while telling her nurse she would no longer pump. It was an emotional five days, but our very short experience in the NICU can't compare to that of babies who are born much earlier.

So, when James was diagnosed with a CMPA, and I had over 1,000 ounces of “dairy and soy” milk in the freezer (milk he would never be able to drink) I knew it had to be donated. I would love to continue to donate over time for babies with a similar diagnosis as James. I hope that we can make a difference in the life of other premature babies."

-Danielle

NYMB Donor Danielle also shared this photo of baby James and the stash of breast milk she donated to help babies in the NICU thrive.

Joselin has been with NYMB for 5 months! She works hard to get milk to hospitals and families. 

The New York Milk Bank is always looking for eligible milk donors. If you have an oversupply of breast milk and would like to support sick babies, begin the process by clicking here.

Help us support new families on their lactation journey by providing items such as sunscreen, breast milk storage bags, and LACTIVATE!: A User's Guide To Breastfeeding!

Check out the full wish list here!

Check out our online shop and support our mission to provide donor milk to babies so they can survive and thrive!

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