A brand new donor milk hub has opened in Langley Mill.
The milk hub will provide storage for human breast milk that will be sent to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) at hospitals in the East Midlands.
The milk will be used to feed premature babies - allowing them to receive safe, screened donor milk.
It is being organised by the East Midlands Freewheelers and Human Milk Foundation.
East Midlands Freewheelers are a volunteer-run charity who provide free transport of blood and blood products, human breast milk and medical equipment to the NHS.
The Human Milk Foundation is a not-for-profit charity offering access to assured supplies of screened donor human milk to hospitals and community-based clinicians.
The milk first be pasteurised at the Hearts Milk Bank, part of the HMF, situated just north of London, then will then be transported back to the Nottingham milk donor hub.
Not only will it be available for local hospitals in Nottinghamshire to use but it will also support local mothers to donate their milk - where it can be stored locally before being transported to Hearts.
Mother’s milk supports and protects babies, however sometimes mothers may be unable to provide enough milk.
Breastfeeding mothers who have more milk than their baby needs can donate it to a milk bank - this is after careful screening which involves blood tests for infections.
The milk is specially heat-treated to make sure it is safe for the most vulnerable babies and then frozen at the milk bank which then is sent to hospitals to support the babies.
Neil Tilley, Managing Director of the East Midlands Freewheelers said: "We are looking forward to helping more families to receive and donate human milk and to growing the hub and its reach in the coming years."
Dr Natalie Shenker of the HMF said, “Everyone at the HMF is committed to building a truly equitable service, where families can donate and access donor human milk, free at the point of need, wherever they live. We are very proud to be opening the East Midlands hub and to supporting local hospitals and families with this essential service.”
