On 12/20/04 9:36 AM, "Jodine Chase" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> I put paragraph breaks in Georgia Morrow's post so I could read it, and I'm
> posting it here for people who had the same problem I had in reading her
> post.
> 
> -- Jodine Chase
> 
> 
> From: Georgia Morrow <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Lactation Information and Discussion

How peculiar, the post wan't complete

Here it is one more time.

- Jodine

>On Dec 19 2004, Georgia Morrow wrote:

The Mother's Milk Bank of Ohio's  "silence" on the issue of donor milk
research has not been intentional, as I have been busy providing donor milk
from established milk banks to babies who need it and completing the
administrative tasks required to get our milk bank up and running, and have
gotten behind in my Lactnet reading and participation.

Regarding your concerns--  the Mother's Milk Bank of Ohio distributes milk
to babies whose own mothers cannot nurse  them in the hopes of promoting
breastfeeding, educating the community about the dangers of artificial
feeding, and eliminating the use of formula.  Not only do I not have a
collaborative relationship with formula companies, I rejected their offer to
provide funding. I have no intention of being involved in research that
leads to the engineering and/or patenting of breastmilk components.  These
research concerns were addressed at the last HMBANA meeting, at which
representatives of the existing milk banks discussed the importance of
discerning which research efforts can and cannot be supported given our goal
of supporting breastfeeding families and promoting human milk.  We are very
committed to avoiding any involvement which would undermine breastfeeding or
the use of donor milk. Very little milk is used for research and never prior
to meeting the needs of identified recipients.

I personally contacted the MMB of Austin and was told that the Dannon
"sponsorship" was actually a contribution made through a corporate
"matching" program in response to an employee's one-time small donation to
the milk bank.  I was informed that there was no ongoing financial
relationship between the MMBA and Dannon, and that they are not
collaborating on research or any other pursuits.

Milk banking and the provision of milk to babies in need is largely
dependent upon support from the lactation community.  The viability of milk
banking rests with us
Without the Ohio Lactation Consultant Association
(OLCA), there would be no Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio. The Mothers' Milk Bank
of Ohio was launched with funding from OLCA and its use in 5 area hospitals
is directly related to the support of lactation consultants in those
hospitals. It is Lactation Consultants who must first approach hospital
management  and then persuade the healthcare team including the epidemiology
and legal department of the need for a donor milk policy.  This must be
accomplished in an atmosphere of general reluctance among healthcare
professionals
to accept that there are risks associated with not providing
mom's own milk.   

OLCA's support has continued with an invitation to Nancy Wight to speak at
our February conference with one of her presentations being donor milk
banking.  OLCA went a step further by changing our usual conference date to
accommodate Nancy's schedule as well as facilitate her presenting at
Columbus Childrens' Hospital Grand Rounds as well as the Central Ohio
Pediatric Society meeting.  It is collaboration such as this that allows
exposure to an audience that would not normally attend a breastfeeding
presentation.  I cannot emphasize enough the value of our working together.

I was initially hesitant to move forward with the development of a milk bank
in our community given the need to increase breastfeeding promotion and
support in many other areas; however, I soon learned that to address the
issue of donor milk useage, healthcare professionals in particular
neonatologists and pediatricians, were required to look at the risks
associated with not providing human milk. I anticipate future improvement in
breastfeeding initiation and duration rates in our community as the direct
result of donor milk availability.

I welcome your monitoring...please know that I would never knowingly
participate in any situation that would undermine breastfeeding.  I know
that the other members of the Human Milk Bank Association of North America
hold the same view.

If at any time one of you questions the Mothers' Milk Bank's  involvement,
please call me directly.

Georgia Morrow, RN,IBCLC
Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio
Grant Medical Center @
Victorian Village Health Center
1087 Dennison Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201
Office 614.544.5906
Fax:   614.544.5907
Member of HMBANA - The Human Milk Banking Association of North America: The
professional organization representing donor human milk banks in the United
States , Canada and Mexico .
"Setting the standard for donor human milk banking"

Save the Date - "Human Milk Banking: A Global Perspective on Best Practices"
Conference, 
Washington DC , October 17-18, 2005 - For more information go
to www.hmbana.org

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