"Mama Milk Bank" Initiative Connects Maryland Moms In Need Of Milk For Babies With Donors

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Mom Heather Cabral looks at her 17-month-old daughter and can't imagine what it would be like to not be able to feed her, to struggle to find formula. The public relations professional decided to take action and help fellow moms.

Cabral created Mama Milk Bank, a Facebook community that connects families in need with breast milk donors who are able to pump extra and share it. She originally envisioned a pump-a-thon just for June, then realized the demand was greater than just one month.

“I was hoping to use the month of June to galvanize women to pump and donate,” Cabral told WJZ's Denise Koch. “But I realized it’s a bigger problem than that. Milk banks are wiped out, so I think they’re looking for longer-term repeat donors.”

Cabral shared on the Facebook page that her initiative is not a "perfect or permanent" fix, she already has more than 100 followers and a few success stories. She shared with WJZ that she was able to connect a mom in Columbia with a six-week-old baby with specific dietary needs to breast milk from a mother with a dairy- and soy-free diet.

“I reached out to my post-partum doula and a midwife friend and within an hour I found in a mom in (Washington, D.C.), who is dairy-free and soy-free,” Cabral said. “So I picked up that milk from her on Thursday and drove it to this mom.”

Cabral encourages women who are able to pump and donate what they can spare to take it to Adventist HealthCare, which has drop-off locations in Germantown and Rockville. Moms and donors also are encouraged to share their locations, health status, allergy information and vaccination status on the Mama Milk Bank page.

Read more at WJZ