Summertime is Funtime…and also a challenge
As families scramble to keep kids active and safe, plan perfect vacations, and manage to feed everyone on the go, breastfeeding moms and their infants can struggle to find quiet time and space for their unique relationship. Breastfeeding is a continuous activity, one that doesn’t recognize the difference between summer and fall. Hungry infants also don’t recognize the change of seasons – they only know that they are hungry, RIGHT NOW!
We applaud families who set a breastfeeding goal and meet it, who find a way to take care of their milk supply through the summer months, and who sacrifice sleep to make sure that their little one’s milk needs are met.
Breastfeeding families aren’t the only ones struggling. Families with babies born too early, too sick or too small are often unable to produce milk and need support from Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin.
Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin(MMBA) is a nonprofit milk bank in Austin that provides Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) to more than 150 hospitals in Texas and 23 other states, and more than 500 infants in homes annually. For the fragile infants receiving PDHM, formula must be avoided in order to have the highest chance of surviving and thriving. 1200 new milk donors are needed annually to provide the nearly one million ounces of milk provided by MMBA – wow!
Milk donors are screened for lifestyle and medical risk factors that might mean their milk would be unsafe for the fragile recipients. By interview, medical records, and blood tests, screening is the first level of safety for donor milk. The milk bank covers all expenses, and the process can be completed in a week. Become a lifesaver today!
Want to learn more and take a tour? August is National Breastfeeding Month and Mother’s Milk Bank at Austin is hosting Milk & Cookies tours of the milk bank each Wednesday in August. You’ll learn all about what happens to make milk safe for our babies during the tour, and then enjoy some milk (or lemonade), cookies and socializing. Feel free to bring your kids along! Each participant will receive unique milk bank swag. Bring a friend and introduce them to the leader in non-profit milk banking.
Date and time options:
12:30 – 1:30pm August 6th, 2025
11am to noon August 13th, 2025
10 – 11am August 20th, 2025
1 – 2pm August 27th , 2025
Space is limited, so please RSVP to kim@milkbank.org if you are interested in attending.