Mid-Michigan’s first human milk bank now open

JACKSON, Mich. (WILX) – Mid-Michigan’s first-ever human milk bank opened its doors to the public Friday.

Whether you’re a single dad, adopting a baby, or struggling to produce your own milk, human breast milk is incredibly important.

Henry Ford Health opened the bank in Jackson, to provide safe pasteurized human milk, to parents in need.

Since it just opened, its number one focus is finding potential donors. Right now, they are only providing donated breast milk to Henry Ford Hospitals. Once their supply increases, they’ll open their milk to the public on a prescription basis.

I spoke with a mom who was one of the first to donate, and she said the process was incredibly easy.

“They make everything easy, it’s as easy as going through the drive-through at a fast food line I feel like,” said Brittany Ganton, a milk donor.

When Brittany Ganton has enough breast milk stored up to make a donation, she uses Henry Ford’s brand-new drop-off drive-through. While it’s an easy process, she says being able to help struggling parents makes it even easier.

“Being able to take that extra milk that I have and giving it back to those in need is great,” said Ganton.

Henry Ford Health experts tell me, birthing people don’t create breast milk until 3-4 days after birth.

During that time, donor milk can make a huge difference in a child’s health.

“Some babies are born with low birth weight, or they have certain illnesses that require breast milk,” said Letishia Hill, Nursing Director of Women and Children Services at Henry Ford.

Even if their baby is healthy, for parents who struggle to produce milk, donor milk comes with key health benefits that formulas don’t offer.

“Human milk is full of antibodies, and I like to call it magic, that helps protect the baby from diseases,” said Katherine Jacque, a Nurse and Lactation Consultant at Henry Ford.

It’s the state of Michigan’s second milk bank and just the 32nd in the nation.

While they’re only serving Henry Ford Hospitals right now, they hope to find more donors and expand access to what they call, ‘liquid gold’.

“We understand that breast milk is liquid gold,” said Michigan’s U.S. Senator, Debbie Stabenow.

“There’s NICU babies, or moms that just have a hard time. and being able to donate and give that milk, bridges that gap for moms,” said Ganton.

Henry Ford Health says the donated milk is pasteurized and tested to ensure complete safety for all recipients.

If you’re interested in donating and would like to learn more, click here.

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