'It's a no-brainer': nursing mom appeals for more breast milk donors

Fort McMurrayhas joineda province-wide initiative to bring breast milk to sick babies and their mothers who can't breast feed.

Now, health professionals and local mothers are appealing for mothers to fill its drop-off freezer inthe northern Alberta city.

• Calgary breast milk bank struggles to meet hospital demand

"It's a no-brainer it helps little babies," said Olivia Martineau, a donor mom.

"Who wouldn't want to help?"

Health professionals saybreast milk is better for a baby than formula. But often, new moms who are sick or give birth prematurely can't breastfeed their babies. The same goes for families who adopt a newborn.

In November, Fort McMurray joined six Alberta locations providing milk to the NorthernStar Mothers' Milk Bank in Calgary. The new location opened after they had about 15 donors sending their frozen milk through a courier service.

New donors wanted

Now that Calgaryfinally has a drop-off location, its freezers are empty and it's appealing for new mothers to help fill them.

"We never say we have too many donors because we know from past history how quickly that could change," said Jeanette Festival, the Executive Director of the NorthernStar Mothers' Milk Bank.

"There would be several weeks where we would go, 'Wehave enough to pasteurize till tomorrow and after that we don't know where our milk is coming from.'"

VIDEO: Milk bank explains its donated breast milk is safe

The milk bank has about 700 donors nationwide with most of themin Alberta. It said the provincehas one of the highest premature birth rates in the country and Edmonton uses 50 per cent of the milk produced.

The Fort McMurray depot opened with support and funding from Alberta Health Services and the Northern Lights Health Foundation, a charitable organization that supports Wood Buffalo health centres.

• Winnipeg gets breast milk drop site at St. Vital birth centre
• Breast milk shortage hits B.C. Women's Hospital milk bank

Follow David Thurton, CBC'sFort McMurraycorrespondent, onFacebook,Twitterand viaemail.