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Milk Depot Helps Moms Donate Breast Milk

Krista Citron makes the first donation to the Milk Depot at Mother Nurture in Lexington.
Photo by Brenna Angel.
Krista Citron makes the first donation to the Milk Depot at Mother Nurture in Lexington.

By Brenna Angel

Lexington, KY – Several central Kentucky mothers are helping newborn babies by donating their breast milk, and the opening of a milk drop-off center is making it easier to give.

Surrounded by fellow moms and their babies, Krista Citron cut the ribbon Thursday on a new freezer at Mother Nurture in Lexington. The baby boutique is now home to a depot where women can donate breast milk to the Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank.

Citron's 12-month-old daughter Lily is a healthy baby, and she wants other children to also benefit from breast milk.

"Once she's older we can tell her that she shared her milk and she helped other babies who needed it. It's a good thing to teach your kids that it's always important to give back if you can," says Citron.

Mother Nurture will ship the milk to the Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank in Indianapolis, which does a health screening on the mothers and the milk.

"Once it's pasteurized, it's re-frozen. And from that frozen space, then it's distributed, but only after we do cultures on the milk. We have to make sure that our milk is completely safe because it's provided to NICUs and the most fragile populations," says Donor Outreach Coordinator Carissa Hawkins.

Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank serves hospitals in several states, including the UK Children's Hospital in Lexington.