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LI hospital's breast milk program helps new moms
South Shore University Hospital on Long Island is offering new moms a vital resource — donor breast milk — through its partnership with the New York Milk Bank. FOX 5’s Jodi Goldberg shares how this program, created for mothers who can't breastfeed initially, helps families.
LONG ISLAND - A hospital on Long Island is giving newborns in need a boost through a new donor breast milk program designed to support mothers unable to breastfeed immediately.
The program at South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, a partnership with the New York Milk Bank, offers a lifeline for new moms like Stephanie Devine, who faced unexpected challenges after the early arrival of her son, Ben.
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Stephanie Devine went from carrying to caring for her baby boy, Ben, overnight. The 32-year-old had what she called the "double whammy," - preeclampsia or high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. She says doctors had no choice but to bring Ben into the world almost two months early.
"It was ‘Hey you're going to the hospital’ and then ‘Maybe you'll go home’ but I was there and then went for the C-section," she said.
The first time mom had her mind set on giving Ben, who only weighed 3 lbs, breast milk, but wasn’t able to do it on her own right away. Since Ben was premature, her body wasn’t able to produce breast milk as quickly as she would have hoped.
Thanks to the new donor breast milk program at South Shore University Hospital where she delivered she was able to give Ben a head start.
"It’s just an in hospital program and the goal of it is to really use as a bridge to Mom having her own milk come in," said Patricia Quinn who is the director of Women’s and Children’s Health at South Shore U. Hospital. "The milk goes through a pasteurization process, it’s frozen and sent overnight on ice, and it goes into a freezer here."
The plan is to expand the program as early as next year so moms who may not have enough supply in the postpartum unit can get donor milk to help supplement their production
"Having this program takes that pressure off the mom while providing benefits to the baby," Quinn said.
Ben, who is 6 weeks old and weighs 6 lbs, can now drink his mom’s breast milk. If she has extra, Stephanie says she’ll donate to help other moms in her shoes and shares this message: "Lean on your support and know there are other people here who will help you throughout the process."