Memorial unveiling today
Milk bank pays tribute to fragile, hopeful nature of life. Page 3
A memorial wall being created at Mothers’ Milk Bank in San Jose is meant to provide hope and comfort to families who have lost an infant in hospital care.
The mural is of a cherry tree in bloom. In Japanese culture the cherry blossom represents both the beauty and fragility of life, says Jonathan Bautista, the milk bank’s executive director. “But it also signifies renewal,” he adds.
The memorial is set to be unveiled today, during National Breastfeeding month.
Mother’s Milk Bank was established about 50 years ago to provide nourishment to premature babies at area hospitals.
“The primary purpose of the milk bank is to provide nourishment to babies in neonatal intensive care units,” Bautista says.
Breast milk is collected from donors at the Monterey Road facility and shipped frozen to hospitals all over California.
“We hand-deliver to local hospitals if there is an urgent need,” Bautista says. “Freezing may impact some of the nutrients, but it is still viable and beneficial.”
The milk bank also holds donation drives with its community partners and has milk collection centers at hospitals and in baby supply stores.
Locally, hospitals such as Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital Systems in San Jose, Good Samaritan in Los Gatos, El Camino in Mountain View and Lucille Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford rely on the milk bank.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF emphasize that donor breast milk is the best alternative to mother’s milk.
“Mother’s milk has bioactive ingredients that formula does not have,” Bautista says.
The milk bank screens donors carefully and requires doctors’ consent before a woman can donate.
Donor coordinator Maryann Allison says she finds it rewarding to interact with donors and help them navigate the process.
“For donors, knowing that it helps premature babies thrive by making their healing process faster and more successful is of course, a great feeling,” Allison adds.