Health experts have long extolled the virtues of breast milk over formula, and now a facility has been opened in the U.S. to ensure needy babies are not deprived of mothers' milk.
New mothers can pump extra breast milk and bring it into The Gathering Place in Miami, Florida, which will ship donations to Texas to be screened and pasteurised.
The Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas freezes the donated milk for use by doctors treating critically ill and premature babies.
Breast is best: The frozen milk is sent to Texas to be screened and pasteurised before being distributed to doctors treating sick infants
The Gathering Place is Florida's first breast milk donation centre.
Ana Rodriguez, the first donor to visit the centre, provided 500 ounces of breast milk, a report on Local10.com said.
'I produce more than my baby can consume,' she said.
'It's a lot of work pumping so it's good that it's going to a good cause.'
The Gathering Place co-owner Michelle Fonte said milk was stored in a freezer at the centre until volunteers packed it up to be shipped to Texas.
A spokeswoman for the Mother’s Milk Bank of North Texas said pasteurisation extends the shelf life from that point up to a year.
Donations: The freezer to store donated breast milk at The Gathering Place in Miami, Florida
Benefits: Breast milk provides anti-bodies that formula milk does not, advocates say
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2281587/Bring-spare-breast-milk-First-collection-centre-recycle-mothers-milk-needy-infants-America-opens-Miami.html#ixzz2LSffN7fh
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