For new moms, providing nutrient-dense breast milk to their babies is not an easy road. Learning to breastfeed is a process for both mom and baby and there are obstacles like returning to the workforce, low supply, health issues like mastitis (a common infection), or lack of support from friends or family.
For other moms, breastfeeding comes fairly easy. These moms have a healthy baby and an abundance of milk.
Connecting the dots
“As a mom of three, I experienced first-hand the importance of breastmilk. I had excess while friends of mine didn’t have enough,” explained Chelly Snow, Co-Founder and COO of LactaLogics. “This realization led us to research, define, test, and pilot donor screening, processing, and reimbursing human milk at scale.”
Chelly Snow
Over time, Ms. Snow learned more about the complexities of human milk and neonatal nutrition. Breastfeeding problems for healthy infants existed, but it was often compounded with premature infants in the NICU.
Moms with preemies often struggle more with low supply while their babies need the life-saving benefits of breastmilk the most.
Getting access to donor milk is a challenge for hospitals and the leading supplier of human milk fortifiers is expensive, leaving restrictive feeding policies in place and most patients on formula or bovine fortifiers.
“One of the biggest things I learned is that the idea of a human milk shortage is a myth. There are plenty of healthy moms with healthy babies who have excess milk, but there is no efficient way to get this milk to premature infants in hospitals,” said Snow. “The solution not only needs to be able to scale, but it needs to take care of the donor moms through reimbursement and support.”
A high-scale processing solution
LactaLogics is currently developing a new technology that will allow for high-efficiency, large-scale manufacturing, so hospitals can have a reliable supplier of human milk.
The goal will be to combine innovation and holistic donor support so all premature infants can have access to an exclusive human milk diet.
“As we’ve grown LactaLogics, I continue to make donor care my focus, ensuring we offer more than just lip-service to these moms who generously give their time and human milk to babies in need,” Snow concludes, “It has been quite a journey, but we’re close to making it a reality.”
