Children’s Hospital of Richmond Rolls Out Virginia’s First Breast Milk Depot

When Jillian Perez gave birth to her first child three years ago, she struggled to produce sufficient breast milk to exclusively breastfeed.

"There's a major social pressure to feed [my baby] with my body," says Perez, who lives in the Richmond, Va., area. "That did not go well for me the first go around. We tried and tried and tried, and he just wasn't gaining weight."

At the recommendation of her son's pediatrician, Perez began to supplement with formula, and he began to thrive.

Following the birth of her second child in July, Perez found herself overproducing milk, and a lactation consultant suggested milk donation.

"While breastfeeding is the goal for many families, there are times when mothers may not yet have enough milk or may face medical or early feeding challenges," says Gauri Gulati, MD, general pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Richmond (CHoR) with a specialty in breastfeeding medicine. "In those situations, pasteurized donor human milk is the next best option."

Perez was among the first donors at the newly opened The King's Daughters Milk Depot at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, in Richmond, Va.

Perez (right) hands her donation to Lisa Ripp, RN, program coordinator for lactation services at CHoR, on the depot's opening day. Photo courtesy of Eva Russo, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

The depot, which opened in February in partnership with Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHoKD), in Norfolk, Va., makes it easier for community members to donate milk that can provide lifesaving treatment for premature and medically fragile babies.

Gulati explains that breast milk has long-term immunity benefits for both mom and baby.

"Breastfeeding is the gold standard nutrition," says Gulati, who is an international board-certified lactation consultant. "Our hospital really took that and prioritized that to help our patients and to help our community."

At first, Perez was hesitant because she was unfamiliar with the donation process, but she went home and did her own research.

"I realized there's this whole community of women who donate," she says.

In 2022, CHoR began offering donor milk in its outpatient lactation clinic, where mothers can meet with lactation consultants to create personalized plans and gain tools for breastfeeding.

The milk depot helps the health system reach beyond the local community.

Now, parents who pass a prescreening to donate milk can schedule a curbside drop-off appointment at CHoR with a member of the lactation services team. The CHoR nutrition team then packages and ships the donated milk to The King's Daughters Milk Bank, where it is pasteurized and tested before distribution.

The depot opened on Feb. 20. Photo courtesy of Eva Russo, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU.

Prescreening includes a short phone interview, an online questionnaire, and bloodwork completed at a local lab at no cost to the donor.

Before the milk depot opened, donating mothers had to ship their milk to CHoKD themselves or drive to Norfolk to donate. By simplifying the process and adding a donation spot in Richmond, CHoR hopes more babies will receive the nutrients and antibodies found in breast milk that are crucial to infant development. Donors are still welcome to ship their own donations to CHoKD.

"It's been very rewarding to know that this milk is going to medically fragile babies and/or parents who were like me in the first go around," says Perez. "It's a huge impact that I can't encourage enough people to participate if you can."

She urges other moms to get screened early even if they don't plan on donating until the end of their breastfeeding journeys.

"I'm really proud of our institution for really making this a priority," says Gulati. "I think it's going to benefit a lot of little babies, and we really want to make sure that these babies get the best start to life."