February 19, 2016
Karen Gilkyson and her 10-month-old daughter Juno are joined by Public Health Nurse and lactation consultant Barbara Paton on the day the Grande Prairie Milk Drop opened in the Public Health Centre. Alberta Health Services staff are working alongside NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank to offer a local drop site for approved donor moms. Gilkyson provided the site with its first, giant, donation.
Story by: Kirsten Goruk
Karen Gilkyson was on bed rest at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton when she first heard about a program that offered sick or premature babies donor mother’s milk.
Gilkyson knew that her odds of delivering her daughter early were real and that’s why her neonatologist mentioned the Calgary Mothers Milk Bank, recently rebranded the NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank.
“So that’s how I first learnt about it. Juno did come 10 weeks early and when she was in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), I saw firsthand how many moms were struggling for their milk to come in. We were recipients of donor milk for about a week until mine did,” says the 37-year-old mother of two from Grande Prairie.
Once Gilkyson was able to breastfeed, she realized she had an abundance of milk and one of the nurses suggested she become a donor.
“After Juno had been a recipient and seeing the benefits, I knew that this was a great way for me to pay it forward. The NICU babies are so fragile and so small,” she says.
Now she and other approved donors in Grande Prairie can drop off their milk at the Public Health Centre.
“It feels amazing. I’ve had this milk in my freezer since coming home and I’ve kind of been hoarding it. I think it’s wonderful that it’s here for families and this is a chance for us to protect our most fragile population,” she says.
The Grande Prairie Milk Drop is part of an expansion of the NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank, a Calgary-based charitable organization that serves as Canada’s only community-based milk bank.
“We are thrilled to be working alongside NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank on this initiative. Grande Prairie is a young, growing community and we know that many mothers will be interested in participating in this important, life-changing donor program,” says Donna Matier, Alberta Health Services (AHS) Public Health Area Manager for Grande Prairie.
“Scientific research supports that babies who receive donated breast milk become stronger and more resilient, reducing their time in hospital and reducing the likelihood of being sicker as children and adults.”
NorthernStar screens breastfeeding mothers as donors, accepting their milk to be pasteurized in their laboratory and dispensed to sick babies in hospitals all over the country including the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie. Milk is triaged, ensuring the sickest babies receive the milk first.
Donors are not compensated for their milk, but rather give to help support those babies who critically need the life-saving elements of donor human milk. This year, the milk bank will dispense more than 130,000 ounces.
“The Grande Prairie Milk Drop location is one of 11 drop locations to open in the Prairie Provinces,” said Jannette Festival, Executive Director of the NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank.
“In opening this drop location, we hope to encourage Grande Prairie mothers to participate in something that changes lives: milk banking. Indeed, every precious drop counts to sick and fragile babies and Grande Prairie women who are breastfeeding have the opportunity to help.”
For more information about the milk bank and how to become a donor, visit the milk bank’s website at northernstarmilkbank.ca. The milk drop is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information call Grande Prairie Public Health: 780-513-7500.
