Original airdate: 9/5/2017 | SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. - When it comes to premature babies, medical experts say nothing is more nutritional than breast milk.

Now, in addition to offering mothers the support they need to breastfeed their babies, the Lehigh Valley Breast Feeding Center in South Whitehall Township, Lehigh County, now has a breast milk depot, which will provide milk for mom's who can't produce it and premature babies in the Lehigh Valley.

"We know that babies that are in the neonatal intensive care unit do so much better if they recover an all-human milk diet. They have less complications. They have shorter NICU stays. They have lower mortality rates," said Denise O'Connor, the executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Mother's Milk Bank in Pittsburgh.

Mid-Atlantic has partnered with the center and St. Luke's Health Network to connect local moms.

"I have tons of milk. My daughter is recently dairy-free," said Janelle Negi, who has donated milk in the past, but now there is a place where she can simply drop off her donation and a mom in need can pick it up.

On the first day of operation, four local mothers donated.

"I think our goal would be as many moms as want to get involved, we would love to have them be part of this because we know again it can only benefit our community," said Lora Steffie, the milk bank's director.

Steffie said any healthy mom who is breast feeding a child under the age of one is eligible to donate.

Steffie said the Lehigh Valley Breast Feeding Center has several programs to help moms meet the challenges of breast feeding and parenting.

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