Creating a better bottle-feeding experience for new mums and bubs

Each year, many new Mackay mums and babies spend time in the Mackay Base Hospital Special Care Nursery. The Special Care Nursery is a division under the Women's Health Unit, which looks after all unwell or preterm babies. Through generous donations from local people and businesses, the Mackay Hospital Foundation has donated Medela bottle warmers to the Special Care Nursery.

Mackay Hospital Foundation has been fantastic in helping the nursery.
— Jodi New, Nurse Educator at the Mackay Base Hospital

“They've bought us many pieces of equipment across the years and, most recently, they bought Medela breast milk warmers. The bottle warmers look after breast milk like the liquid gold that it is and makes sure that the milk is heated to the appropriate temperature. When the bottles are heated to the right temperature, all the immunoglobulins and things that make breast milk so wonderful are being looked after.”

Before the Special Care Nursery had bottle warmers, the hospital staff would use old-fashioned ceramic cups and hot water to heat up the milk. Therefore, the bottle warmers now bring many safety benefits to both the staff and babies – as they are no longer carrying cups of hot water throughout the unit. From an occupational health and safety perspective, the bottle warmers are an amazing asset.

The bottle warmers will also have a major impact on patients and parents – due to the milk being heated to the correct temperature, there is no risk of overheating. When breast milk is overheated, there’s a risk of damaging the immunoglobulins. By using bottle warmers, staff can make sure that babies are getting all of the benefits of breast milk.

“The Mackay Hospital Foundation is so supportive of all of our unit, and without them, we wouldn't have the equipment that we've been able to get through their fundraising efforts. We cannot thank them enough.”

At the Mackay Hospital Foundation, your donation matters. We can guarantee it goes towards funding vital equipment and services such as the Medela Breast Warmers to help local patients. If you would like to donate, you can do so here.

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