Austin milk bank celebrates National Breastfeeding Month
Aug 13 2007
UPDATE on 8/15/07: Kim Updegrove just sent out a a correction to this story. Tammy Duclow actually donated 12,000 oz (which is still an amazing number) and not 200,000 oz. She donated 12,000 oz in a year where they processed 200,000 oz. Makes my 500 oz seen so small…
As some of you know, I am an avid supporter of the Mother’s Milk Bank at Austin. In honor of National Breastfeeding Month, they highlighted an amazing donor! See below for the story.
Austin milk bank celebrates National Breastfeeding Month
Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin helps babies grow with donated breast milk.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Tammy Duclow is a master milker.
After the birth of her last two children, the Dallas woman decided to donate her excess breast milk to the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin. She pumped in the morning. She pumped at night. She pumped so much that her friends and family started calling her the Duclow Dairy.
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
By the time she retired from active milking duty in 2005, Duclow had donated 200,000 ounces — about 1,562 gallons — of breast milk to the Austin milk bank.
“I felt blessed and honored to be able to do that,” said Duclow, 43.
August is National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, a time for advocates to push the health benefits of nursing infants. Doctors say breastfed children get fewer infections, score slightly higher on IQ tests and have reduced rates of diabetes, obesity and allergic diseases. Health benefits to nursing mothers include reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
But some mothers can’t provide milk for their babies. That’s where the nonprofit Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin comes in.
The milk bank was created in 1998 by two Austin neonatologists who wanted to ensure that breast milk could be provided to premature and sick babies, who are six to 10 times more likely to contract life-threatening intestinal infections when fed formula instead of human milk.
In 1999, the Austin milk bank collected about 40,000 ounces of milk from 50 donors.
Last year, the bank had 280 donors. The milk bank sent more than 57,400 bottles of milk to 30 hospitals and 44 outpatient babies.
“It’s used to ensure the health of the next generation,” said Kim Updegrove, the milk bank’s clinical director. “It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Duclow started donating her breast milk after the birth of her second child in 1999. The Dallas mother noticed how much milk she was producing and didn’t want to dump it. A lactation consultant suggested that she work with the Austin milk bank.
After an intense screening process that included taking a blood test and providing an extensive medical history, Duclow started donating. She loved the idea of helping sick children through something that came so easily to her.
“I will never be a brain doctor or save anyone that way,” she said. “But this was one time I could say, ‘I’m helping save a life.’ ”
But it took a lot of work. Duclow had to watch what she ate and avoid alcohol and certain medications. She took blood tests every six months. She also had to pump milk two hours a day.
The result is that Duclow has donated more breast milk than any other person in the milk bank’s history.
“It’s God’s blessing,” Duclow said. “It’s not something I can take credit for.”
For more information about the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Austin, call 494-0800 or go to www.milkbank.org.
aball@statesman.com; 912-2506
Author: Aruni | Filed under: breast milk, milk banking | 1 Comment »
That is an amazing gesture. I’m am so very touched and inspired. Thank you for the post. Very worthwhile. This is great to know.