LIFEBLOOD MILKBANK

In 2015, Miracle Babies Foundation Founder, Melinda Cruz was invited to join the newly formed Milk Bank Advisory Board for the Australian Red Cross Blood Bank (now Australian Red Cross Lifeblood).  Melinda sits alongside leading NICU health professionals and the LifeBlood Milkbank team representing families born premature and sick.  

Lifeblood has more than 90 years of experience in collecting, processing and distributing biological products that includes Australia’s smallest patients with donated breast milk. With the support of state governments, Lifeblood is using that experience (and infrastructure) to collect, test, pasteurise and distribute donated breast milk to the babies that need it in New South Wales and South Australia with the hope to expand to the rest of Australia.

Understanding the crucial importance for the health and outcomes of babies born sick or premature, Lifeblood is working towards the vision that every baby in a NICU in Australia will have access to donor breastmilk when mothers own milk is not available.