The amazing Queensland Milk Bank team
After more than eight and a half years of saving tiny lives, RBWH’s very own Queensland Milk Bank has made an exciting decision to merge with the Red Cross Lifeblood Milk Bank to create a bigger, better milk bank.
Set to open in the coming months, the new milk bank will generate more capacity to collect, pasteurise and store milk for distribution across Australia. The result? More life-enhancing milk will be available than ever before for preterm and unwell babies.
With the excitement of the new milk bank comes a bittersweet goodbye to the amazing service that was a true labour of love for RBWH Neonatology Director and Queensland Milk Bank Director Dr Pieter Koorts and his team.
Since the Queensland Milk Bank opened, the team has accepted and processed thousands of litres of breast milk donations from selfless donors, which has been sent to hospitals across Australia to ensure premature and sick babies in the neonatology units can receive a better start to life.
“It has been so rewarding knowing the big difference in outcomes we have achieved by maintaining a human milk diet for very fragile babies across the 14 sites we supplied to. Being able to tell a new mum that we’ve got their back with breast milk until they have enough of their own makes it all worthwhile,” Dr Koorts said.
“I will never forget the day I drove to Caboolture with a car full of ice from the service station to pick up 40 litres of milk from a mother who had just lost her pre-term baby in our unit. This amazing woman donated enough milk for us to take that first step to open the milk bank.
“I am so thankful for the support we’ve received from the RBWH community, and of course, our donors. We could not have done this without them.
“The opening of the new Milk Bank is a continuation of the work we have been doing here and will allow all babies to have equal access to donor milk as they need it, no matter where they are. I’m excited to see the future of the Milk Bank.”
Queensland Milk Bank Clinical Nurse Consultant Karen Langford the success of the milk bank has been a huge team effort.
“I would like to specifically recognise the ‘behind-the-scenes’ staff such as the storemen, patient support officers, refrigeration mechanics, central messaging service, food services and the many other amazing teams who have made this possible,” Karen said.
“Of course, we couldn’t have done any of this without our donors who we will be forever thankful to. I’ve been surprised by how much they have thanked us too, for being a listening ear, for encouraging them to continue their breastfeeding journey and for providing them with breastfeeding information.
“It’s truly been a team effort and I’m excited to continue the journey with our new Milk Bank.”
Well done to everyone involved and good luck on the new journey. You have truly changed lives!
To find out more information visit the new Milk Bank website.