AMARILLO, TEXAS -- UPDATED 4:34pm: The tragic events for one family is raising awareness and helping hundreds more. After receiving several phone calls to donate breast milk to the premature son of Brianna "Brie" Gomez, killed in a tragic car accident, a milk depost site has been created here in Amarillo. After receiving dozens of phone calls from mothers who wanted to help the Gomez baby by donating their breast milk. Last week, Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas moved a depost station to Northwest Texas Hospital. It's no secret the benefits breast milk holds for a newborn, especially, for those pre-term babies who need extra help developing and fighting off infection.
"It's particularly vital for vulnerable pre-term infants it protects them from infection and helps their immature organs mature and it's just the ideal nutrition for pre-mature babies," said Amy Vickers, Executive Director of Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas.
The milk bank, based in Fort Worth, says for those who don't know, it works just like a blood bank.
"We take milk from moms that are breast feeding their own baby and have extra milk and process it and test it and then dispense it to hospitals fro pre-term, fragile infants that don't have access to their mothers own milk for whatever reason," said Vickers.
It's important to note that donations are handled through Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas. Northwest Texas Hospital is just the drop off location. For more information call the milk bank at 1-866-810-0071 or go to www.texasmilkbank.org, and start the free process of becoming a human milk donor.
PREVIOUSLY: The Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas is making a plea to breast-feeding mothers. A little baby was born at 29 weeks after its mother was killed in a tragic car wreck. The baby remains in NICU at this time, and is in desperate need of breast milk.
If you can spare even one once a week or month, you could greatly improve this baby's outcome. There is never a charge to you and donations are handled much like blood donations.
If you can help call the Mother's Bank of North Texas at 1-866-810-0071 or go to www.texasmilkbank.org, and start the free process of becoming a human milk donor.
