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Why is mother's milk so important?Human breast milk contains an important blend of nutrients and immune boosting cells that is custom made for her baby. Babies who are born too small or too sick to breast feed right away are in the greatest need of their mother's breast milk! Their immune systems need help fighting off deadly infections, their digestive systems need to be treated gently, and they need to absorb every available nutrient in their food to keep growing while they are in the hospital.
Normally, a mom who wants to provide breastmilk to her baby would simply breastfeed, but this isn't always possible in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Mothers need special equipment to start and sustain their milk supply by pumping their breasts, which can be very expensive. This is where The MOM Project comes in! |
The Pumping Problem
Mothers of sick babies must use a hospital grade breast pump every 3-4 hours for days, weeks or months to establish and maintain their breast milk supply.
In Alberta, renting a hospital grade breast pump is not covered by Alberta Health, and very few programs provide cost assistance for low income families. The cost of a traditional monthly rental ranges from $70-$100+. This cost is simply too high for many families. But without a hospital grade pump or breastfeeding baby, the mother's milk supply will eventually decrease and then stop completely. This would put their baby at risk of health complications both in the NICU and for the rest of their life. The MOM Project provides low-cost Hospital Strength breast pump rentals to families who cannot afford a traditional rental. This way, no baby is unfairly denied their mother's own milk because of financial circumstances. |
Eliminating Barriers to Mother's Milk
A core value of the Ohana Support Foundation (the non-profit organization that provides the MOM Project) is improving access to social and health care systems for families at risk.
Here is how we do it...
Here is how we do it...
Cost
Unlike traditional rentals, we only charge families the cost of the pumping accessories they need. This makes the program sustainable for us, and affordable for families
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Transportation
We drop off and pick up our pumping kits where and when it is convenient for families. We can also provide an insulated cooler bag for safe milk transportation for families with long commutes to the hospital
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Language
Most of our families do not speak English as their first language. We provide translation services so our renters can communicate freely with our volunteers and understand our program
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I am so grateful to have your pumping machine to provide my milk to my son in NICU. The MOM Project is an amazing act of concern to both baby and mommy. You don’t know how you all touched my heart. Maybe for you it’s just a small deed, but for me it’s one of the reason to build and increase my faith. Giving birth unexpectedly, and seeing my baby so tiny and with lots of stuff on his body makes me worry and feel down all the time. I know I have my family, relatives and friends to support me in this part of my life and the MOM Project is one of those supports to drive me to be strong and fight my worries and fears. I don’t know you all but you showed love and a selfless act for us mothers with babies in the NICU. You helped me not only financially, but you also helped me emotionally and spiritually to be motivated not giving up if there’s big challenges come into my life.
I want to thank you all for sharing this project with me.
-Mary Ann
We're Growing!We are asking for your help to purchase more pumps to help babies like Noah!
Visit our campaign on FundRazr: Pumped for Preemies- Help Them Get the Breast Start! Donate today, and help spread the word! |
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Our Supporters
Through their generous financial support, the Calgary Community of Christ Congregation has made The MOM Project possible! There are several members and friends of the congregation who craft the beautiful handmade baby blankets that we gift to each family.
Maymom cares for each mom. We know innovations can make a difference to you and your baby. For the past 7 years, we have been listening, trying and innovating to provide efficient, economical and high quality products. Thinking from the customers' needs is Maymom's value of existence.
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