20 May What’s in the fridge? UPMC Hamot hosts area’s first breast milk depot
GoErie (May 20, 2025) – Chelsea Lasky-McFarlin no longer has to mail her frozen breast milk to Pittsburgh in order to help new mothers feed their babies.
The Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank opened a new milk depot May 19 at UPMC Hamot. It’s the organization’s first depot in northwestern Pennsylvania.
“When my first daughter, Emily, was born in Virginia, we needed some donated milk to get started,” Lasky-McFarlin said. “I’m a pediatric physical therapist, so I have seen how breast milk can help prematurely born babes. When I had my second child, Addison, a year ago, I knew that I wanted to donate if I could.”
Breast milk is important for newborns, especially those born before 32 weeks gestation. It is easier for them to digest than formula and it includes antibodies to help prevent infections.
Mothers of prematurely born infants often have difficulty producing breast milk right away, said Molly Mello, R.N., a Hamot lactation consultant. Mothers of full-term babies can also experience delays.
“Sometimes it takes a while for a mother’s milk to come in,” Mello said. “Or she is making some and the baby needs more.”
About 30 northwestern Pennsylvanian women currently donating milk
Donated mothers’ milk has been available at Hamot for almost 10 years but having an on-site depot hopefully will spur additional donations. About 30 northwestern Pennsylvania woman are donating to the milk bank at a given time.
Until May 19, the milk bank sent donors shipping packages to overnight the frozen breast milk to Pittsburgh, where it is processed. Now the milk is picked up from a dedicated, locked refrigerator on the fourth floor of Magee-Womens, UPMC Hamot.
“This makes it easier and more convenient for women to donate, and one donor can make such a difference,” said Denise O’Connor, the milk bank’s executive director. “The average mother donates about 500 ounces and a preemie’s meal is only one-third of an ounce.”
New mothers are encouraged to become donors. They can call Hamot’s lactation department at 814-877-6722 or visit the milk bank’s website at www.midatlanticmilkbank.org.