Mothers' Milk Bank provides life-saving resources for families in Colorado and nationwide

Being a new mom is a rollercoaster, filled with joys and inevitable challenges. So, a Colorado nonprofit is helping moms, meeting them right where they are physically and financially.

For 40 years, Mothers' Milk Bank in Arvada has provided life-saving resources for growing families, thanks to nearly 22,000 donors.

Anne Marie Piazza is one of those generous donors. CBS Colorado caught up with Piazza on a recent breast milk delivery, who says being a new mom has had its ups and downs.

"He's just a joy to have," she said while holding her 9-month-old son. "I grew up with babies around me all the time, so I just thought I would know what to do, but it was a lot more than I anticipated. There are so many things that I didn't think about right away. It's really intense in the beginning. He had some trouble gaining weight, and he had jaundice, and there were some scary things I had to experience. If you let yourself go down that rabbit hole, it can really drag you down."

She worked to overcome those challenges and has now opened her heart to help other moms.

"I knew I wanted to donate my milk for moms who didn't have their supply come in like mine did," said Piazza.

Mothers' Milk Bank provided that connection.

"We are so fortunate to allow us to be in this middle spot to connect moms who have more milk than their baby needs to babies who don't have mom's milk for one reason or another, whether they were born premature or perhaps there are health conditions that make it difficult for them," said Milk Bank Director Rebecca Heinrich. "We know that mother's milk is the best first food for babies. In the U.S., 1 in 10 babies is born premature, and mom's body may not be ready to make milk when the baby is born so early. There may be trauma. There may be complications."

Mothers' Milk Bank milk is dispersed across the Denver metro area and to milk banks nationwide.  

"Here in Colorado, we are one of the largest milk banks in the country," Heinrich continued. "Not every state has a milk bank, so not every baby would have access to milk if not for our donors that allow us to pasteurize and process this milk, test it for safety, and deliver it. We want milk banking to be as ubiquitous and out there as blood banking."

Heinrich says their ultimate goal is to break down all barriers for families.

"For families that are struggling financially, for families that are finding it difficult to support their children, that's one of the ways we do that is through human milk. Just taking things off their plate, offering human milk is going to make all the difference in the life of that baby."

"It just feels really good to know I can give those moms peace of mind, especially when it comes to something as simple as, it seems silly, but feeding your baby," said Piazza.

Because it really does take a village. Piazza is glad to know she's part of it.

"You got this. You got this, mama!" Piazza said with a smile.

In order to donate breast milk, bloodwork and a questionnaire are required. To learn more, visit their website.