When Natalie had to get an emergency c-section, her milk took time to come in. Luckily, her lactation consultant let her know that her hospital had access to Pasteurized Donor Human Milk from The Milk Bank.
Providing her son William donor milk to supplement her own greatly reduced her and her husband’s stress. “Thanks to The Milk Bank, we wouldn’t have to worry about trying different formulas or stressing too much about my lack of supply during those first few days,” shared Natalie.
Over the following weeks, Natalie would be able to build her supply, and eventually became a milk donor with The Milk Bank. She then spent a year donating to The Milk Bank through Kentucky Blood Center’s (KBC) Milk Depot.
“I felt so fortunate to be able to give back by providing lifesaving feedings to other babies and help relieve at least some of the stress that new parents experience,” said Natalie.
KBC has eight donor centers in six cities (Lexington, Louisville, Corbin, Frankfort, Pikeville and Somerset), offering convenience for mothers who want to become milk donors. Most KBC donor centers are open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., but please contact each site for specific hours of operation.
KBC began its partnership with The Milk Bank – a nonprofit milk bank improving health outcomes for premature and ill infants – in 2021. Four milk depots opened in October 2021 at KBC’s two Lexington (Beaumont, Andover) and Louisville (Middletown, Hillview) donor centers. Milk depots were added to the Somerset and Pikeville locations in April 2022 and Frankfort in April 2025.
Since 2021, KBC has collected 202,466 ounces of frozen breast milk from 311 donors. At approximately three feedings per ounce, that’s nearly 607,398 feedings for NICU babies.
Do you have extra milk in your freezer? Consider donating it to The Milk Bank to help moms just like Natalie! Learn more about becoming a milk donor now.
