Moms Bank Breast Milk for Others' Babies

Aug. 16, 2004 -- When Elizabeth Schmid gave birth to triplets, she was able to give them everything except the one thing they needed most — breast milk.

Born three months prematurely, Bridget, Caroline and Jamie weighed no more than 2 pounds each. Very little and very sick, the three girls needed expert care and the best nutrition to survive.

Luckily, they got both.

Doctors provided the care, and nursing mothers with too much milk for their own children provided the lifesaving nutrition.

Seven months later, Bridget, Caroline and Jamie are happy, healthy little girls. And their mom is thankful for both the good care they received early in life and for the breast milk selflessly donated by other mothers — even though they didn't know Schmid and had no connection to Schmid.

"This was a wonderful gift that these women gave to our sick babies," said Schmid.

The donated milk came from Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa in Iowa City, about two hours away from Schmid's home in Dubuque. The milk bank — one of six in the United States — collects, pasteurizes, stores and distributes human breast milk to babies in need.

Pediatrician Ekhard Ziegler, medical director and co-founder of the bank, says he started it because he wanted all babies — and especially ones born prematurely — to have the benefits of breast milk.

"I knew that many mothers of premature babies either couldn't provide breast milk at all or tried and couldn't provide enough," said Ziegler. "In our hospital, premature babies have the benefit of getting mother's breast milk when the mom cannot give milk themselves."

There are many reasons why breast milk is ideal for infants: It's easy to digest, it strengthens a baby's immunity against infection and disease, and it promotes the growth of developing bones and tissue.