Want your baby to have breast milk, but you can't produce?  Now, you may have some help.

ABC 33/40 reports that a breast milk bank has opened in Alabama to serve pre-term and hospitalized babies. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Tuesday for the Mother's Milk Bank in Birmingham.

The milk is collected from mothers, sterilized, and then sent to local hospitals to help babies born too early fight complications. Before the opening of the Mother's Milk Bank, donations were sent to north Texas for pasteurization and distribution.

I remember when I was pregnant, I'd considered breast feeding, but I was still somewhat undecided when my daughter was delivered by emergency Caesarean.  At that time, I knew what I wanted to do but because she was in the NICU, I couldn't attach her. So, I immediately began pumping and having my milk sent to the NICU.  Even after I returned to work, I took my pump with me and stored expressed milk in the freezer until I could get it to the hospital.  I simply understood the importance of supplying my preemie with the nutrients of breast milk.

HOWEVER, for some women, this is not a choice.  Some find pumping too painful. Others have chemical imbalances that make their milk unsuitable for their babies. In such a case, it is good that there are donors willing to provide milk for babies other than their own.  If you found yourself in such need, could you authorize a hospital to give your baby someone else's milk?

Every day, parents have to make the decision as to whether their children should be given blood transfusions. Of course, these are needed to save the children's lives. In some cases, breast milk can be seen as a lifesaver. I think the idea of the intimacy of the breast could cause some mothers to reject breast milk donations, though.  What do you think?

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