MOTHERS' MILK ASSOCIATION OF WISCONSIN
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About MMAW
MMAW Board of Directors
Jill Innes, RN; Madison - President
Ruth Sweet, RN, IBCLC; Verona - Treasurer and Vice President.
Arlinda Michael, RN, IBCLC; Madison - Secretary
MMAW Volunteer Coordinators
Kate Brethauer CNM, MSN, CLC; Oregon - Volunteer Coordinator
Alison Dodge, CLC, Co-owner Happy Bambino; Madison - Fundraising Coordinator
Anne Eglash MD, FABM, UW Health; Mt Horeb - Depot Coordinator.
Margot Harris, RNC, MSN, IBCLC, Mercy Health System Janesville; - LLL of WI Liaison
Jill Mallory, MD
Jenny McAllister, BSN, IBCLC; Waukesha - Newsletter
Cathy Szudy, RNC, IBCLC, CNM, MSN; Madison - Volunteer
Peggy Toman RN BSN IBCLC ; Oshkosh - Depot Coordinator
"MMAW's ultimate goal is providing pasteurized donor milk for
any baby who does not have access to mothers' own milk."
The Birth of the Mother's Milk Association of Wisconsin
by Anne Eglash, MD, IBCLC
The group, later to be named the Mothers Milk Association of Wisconsin, felt a strong current of energy on this issue from the local population. Lactating women were out there waiting to empty their stuffed freezers as soon as possible. MMAW was their only hope to avoiding dumping the milk down the drain. The local media expressed excitement and ran a few TV spots on our endeavor. And we had just barely written any policies or procedures yet!
Our first step was to find a milk bank that was interested in advising, nurturing, and collaborating with us. The Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio, and specifically the bank's directors Georgia Morrow and Diane Bates, generously donated our first freezer to us, and dedicated a great deal of time to help establish Wisconsin's first donor milk collection depot. Most milk banks in the United States do not work with out-of-state collection depots, so it was a challenge to pave the way. We had to figure out how to appropriately screen Wisconsin donor mothers through the Ohio Milk Bank, how to collect milk from the donor mothers, organize and store the milk safely, and ship it undisturbed so it arrives at the Ohio milk bank in its frozen state. We have gained a new appreciation for our very cold Wisconsin winters!
Our first freezer sites for milk storage were in Oshkosh, run by Peggy Toman, and in Mt. Horeb, run by a handful of Dane county MMAW board members and volunteers. Our newest, very popular depot is at the Madison Birthing Center, and has been actively buzzing with excitement over this project.
The first few runs of donor milk in the fall of 2005 were transported via car to the Mothers Milk Bank of Ohio by a few hardy volunteers. It is a 9 hour drive to Columbus Ohio, which doesn't fall into the category of a nice Sunday drive. After about 6 months of relying on very noble drivers, MMAW contacted Angel Flight, a nonprofit group of pilots that flies medical missions. They very generously agreed to fly our milk to Ohio whenever we needed at no expense to us.
We are now shipping milk every 4 weeks via Angel Flight. The volunteer pilot usually picks up our milk at the Oshkosh and Middleton airports, and flies the milk directly to the Columbus, Ohio airport, where someone associated with the milk bank receives the milk and drives it to the Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio. Because Angel Flight has been so reliable with providing pilots when we need them, we have been able to ship the milk within 6 weeks of donation, thereby preventing the milk from becoming outdated. Flying the milk also allows it to stay frozen, since the trip is short. With driving, the milk takes the risk of thawing if the weather is warm, despite the use of dry ice.
We expect in the next year to add a few more milk depots in other parts of Wisconsin, as the enthusiasm and commitment to donate human milk continues to blossom.
Arlinda Michael, RN, IBCLC; Madison - Secretary
MMAW Volunteer Coordinators
Kate Brethauer CNM, MSN, CLC; Oregon - Volunteer Coordinator
Alison Dodge, CLC, Co-owner Happy Bambino; Madison - Fundraising Coordinator
Anne Eglash MD, FABM, UW Health; Mt Horeb - Depot Coordinator.
Margot Harris, RNC, MSN, IBCLC, Mercy Health System Janesville; - LLL of WI Liaison
Jill Mallory, MD
Jenny McAllister, BSN, IBCLC; Waukesha - Newsletter
Cathy Szudy, RNC, IBCLC, CNM, MSN; Madison - Volunteer
Peggy Toman RN BSN IBCLC ; Oshkosh - Depot Coordinator
"MMAW's ultimate goal is providing pasteurized donor milk for
any baby who does not have access to mothers' own milk."
The Birth of the Mother's Milk Association of Wisconsin
by Anne Eglash, MD, IBCLC
At a winter meeting in 2004, members of the Madison Breastfeeding Promotion Network (MBPN) shared ideas for its 2005 goals to promote breastfeeding in the greater Madison, Wisconsin area. With breastfeeding rates climbing in our area, thanks to the Baby Friendly status of both Meriter Hospital in Madison, and the Madison Birthing Center in Middleton, more and more lactating women were looking for ways to donate their extra milk. Members of the MBPN recognized that these women had few options for donating milk, since shipping milk to the closest milk banks was financially prohibitive and delivering the milk by car was a huge commitment of time and money. In recognition that the dream of establishing a Wisconsin milk bank is a worthy one, a few members of the MBPN decided to initiate a milk collection depot for women to donate milk.
The group, later to be named the Mothers Milk Association of Wisconsin, felt a strong current of energy on this issue from the local population. Lactating women were out there waiting to empty their stuffed freezers as soon as possible. MMAW was their only hope to avoiding dumping the milk down the drain. The local media expressed excitement and ran a few TV spots on our endeavor. And we had just barely written any policies or procedures yet!Our first step was to find a milk bank that was interested in advising, nurturing, and collaborating with us. The Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio, and specifically the bank's directors Georgia Morrow and Diane Bates, generously donated our first freezer to us, and dedicated a great deal of time to help establish Wisconsin's first donor milk collection depot. Most milk banks in the United States do not work with out-of-state collection depots, so it was a challenge to pave the way. We had to figure out how to appropriately screen Wisconsin donor mothers through the Ohio Milk Bank, how to collect milk from the donor mothers, organize and store the milk safely, and ship it undisturbed so it arrives at the Ohio milk bank in its frozen state. We have gained a new appreciation for our very cold Wisconsin winters!
Our first freezer sites for milk storage were in Oshkosh, run by Peggy Toman, and in Mt. Horeb, run by a handful of Dane county MMAW board members and volunteers. Our newest, very popular depot is at the Madison Birthing Center, and has been actively buzzing with excitement over this project.
The first few runs of donor milk in the fall of 2005 were transported via car to the Mothers Milk Bank of Ohio by a few hardy volunteers. It is a 9 hour drive to Columbus Ohio, which doesn't fall into the category of a nice Sunday drive. After about 6 months of relying on very noble drivers, MMAW contacted Angel Flight, a nonprofit group of pilots that flies medical missions. They very generously agreed to fly our milk to Ohio whenever we needed at no expense to us.We are now shipping milk every 4 weeks via Angel Flight. The volunteer pilot usually picks up our milk at the Oshkosh and Middleton airports, and flies the milk directly to the Columbus, Ohio airport, where someone associated with the milk bank receives the milk and drives it to the Mothers' Milk Bank of Ohio. Because Angel Flight has been so reliable with providing pilots when we need them, we have been able to ship the milk within 6 weeks of donation, thereby preventing the milk from becoming outdated. Flying the milk also allows it to stay frozen, since the trip is short. With driving, the milk takes the risk of thawing if the weather is warm, despite the use of dry ice.
We expect in the next year to add a few more milk depots in other parts of Wisconsin, as the enthusiasm and commitment to donate human milk continues to blossom.
