A first-time mom reflects on the early days of breastfeeding, and provides practical guidance and supportive resources for lactating mothers. “You’re a good mom, even when you feel bad. Breastfeeding is hard and unpredictable. Let’s assess your situation together and pivot as needed.” Those words, spoken by a lactation consultant to our hospital baby group […]
Why Support for Lactating Parents at Work Matters For many postpartum mothers returning to work, balancing employment, personal recovery, newborn care, and household responsibilities can feel overwhelming. Melanie, a nurse, returned to work just eight weeks after giving birth. She understood the benefits of human milk and hoped to breastfeed her baby for at least […]
Upon becoming a Mothers’ Milk Bank California milk donor last year, Anna Pangilinan learned that she shares the title with her mom, Leslie. In the middle of her surrogacy journey in 1996, Leslie Gilbertson discovered Mothers’ Milk Bank California (MMBCA) after seeing firsthand the nourishment that breastmilk provided for three of her own children, and […]
Donating breast milk can feel deeply personal and it’s normal to have questions, hesitations, or even worries. We often receive calls from prospective donors who want to understand the impact of their donation on the community. Here at Mothers’ Milk Bank California, we welcome those conversations because this is your milk and it represents a […]
It’s December, which means the need is higher for donor human milk. Can you help change the trajectory of a baby’s life this season?
Mothers’ Milk Bank California (MMBCA), a leading nonprofit milk bank, is proud to announce a groundbreaking research partnership with the esteemed Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. This collaboration will advance scientific understanding of donor human milk and its life-saving impact on medically fragile infants. Under the leadership of Dr. Rajini Rao, Professor in the Department […]
What NICU Hospitals Should Know About Safety, Storage, and NEC Prevention For premature infants with very low birth weight, human milk is a critical medical intervention. When a parent’s own milk is limited or unavailable, most hospitals rely on pasteurized donor human milk to support the baby’s growth, protect the gut and reduce severe complications […]
Our recent webinar, Be a Hero from Home: How Donor Milk Changes Lives, brought together healthcare professionals for an inspiring conversation about how donated milk supports medically fragile babies in the NICU. Watch the recap below and feel free to share it with anyone interested in supporting this lifesaving mission.
A quick guide to keeping pumped milk clean, safe, and ready for the babies who need it most.
by Jenika Shamp Meet Jenika, a mother of 3 who was inspired to donate milk after her youngest son received donor human milk from Mothers’ Milk Bank California. I have been blessed with an oversupply with all my 3 children; however, I did not know about milk banks with my first two. When my youngest, […]