UTMB Employee Among First to Donate Breast Milk to New Hospital Drop-Off Site

In a major step toward supporting premature and sick infants, the University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston Campus has officially become a donor milk drop-off location for Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin (MMBA), helping ensure that babies across Texas have access to life-saving nutrition.

"Every year in the U.S., 72,000 babies are born premature or sick, putting them at risk of a serious and often fatal condition called Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC)," said MMBA Executive Director Kim Updegrove. "Breast milk is the proven best food for all babies, and [it] also decreases NEC risk by more than 50% for very tiny premature infants. Babies deserve a healthy start to life. They deserve human milk."

Among the many advocates for donor milk is UTMB employee and donor mom Erin Thomas, who found out about MMBA by doing research on where she could donate excess milk after giving birth to her son at 38 weeks.

"Although he was a little early, and born by unexpected C-section, I worked hard to build a strong milk supply so that I could create a stash before returning to work," she said. "I quickly created an oversupply and ran out of freezer room, so I briefly researched other places to donate, but MMBA was really the only place I felt comfortable giving to because I knew my milk would go to saving the tiniest and sickest babies who needed it most."

The initiative to establish UTMB as a drop-off site began a year ago, driven by staff who recognized the challenges faced by local donors. Previously, the nearest location was HCA Clear Lake Hospital, which required a two-hour round trip. This distance discouraged many potential donors, including mothers with extra milk or those seeking a meaningful way to honor the loss of a child.

Since its opening on Aug. 15, Thomas shared that she has been able to give over 60 gallons of milk to MMBA and said she will certainly donate again in the future.

"I've always had a heart for the smallest and most fragile babies, especially after having a son who spent time in the NICU, so I am truly blessed to be able to feed by baby as well as other babies who need it the most."

Donors can drop off milk at any time, day or night, without an appointment. Donations are accepted on the sixth floor of John Sealy Hospital, outside the neonatal intensive care unit.

Learn more about becoming a donor.