By Tom Mark

Okanagan Breastmilk Drive A Success

Jun 20, 2017 | 12:44 PM

Organizers of a breastmilk milk drive in the Okanagan are pleased at the response for the first time event.

The drive tomorrow includes a drop off in Vernon.

Meggie Ross with OK Breastfeeding says a number of women have come forward.

“We have over 20 mothers who have gone through the screening process and will be donating up to 50 litres of their breast milk to the BC Women’s Milk Bank.”

Ross says several of the women donating are from Vernon.

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” That actually is a really fabulous response because to donate there’s a commitment of each mother donating a total of 150 ounces. Not a lot of mothers can do that.”

The drive here is being held at the Boys and Girls Club from 9 am to 10 am.

Women who have not gone through the screening but have frozen milk can still donate by checking in with the BC Women’s Milk Bank today to get screened.

Others who are interested in learning more about the program are welcome to drop by.

“They can join us from 9 to 10 at the Boys and Girls Club. They can also go online, just bo googling BC Women’s Milk Bank. They’ll get lots of background information.”

The drive is also taking place in Kelowna, West Kelowna and Penticton.

There will be another drive in the fall.

The Milk Bank annually provides milk to about two and a half thousand babies across the province.

Those babies are generally the sickest of the babies in neo-natal intensive care units.

A percentage of premature babies get a gastrointestinal disease called necrotizing enterocolitis, which can be fatal.

It’s been proven that breast milk can minimize or prevent the disease as well as other illnesses.

Many mothers with premature babies aren’t able to produce enough milk.

Some of the milk donated through this drive will go to babies in intensive care in Kelowna and Kamloops.

by Tom Mark