Staff Profile: Allanah

Wednesday, 7/20/2016

The staff at Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas feels like one big family, and in Allanah’s case, the family ties are real. Her aunt, Shaina, is the Director of Operations. Allanah became interested in the milk bank through this connection, took a job five years ago, and has been a constant in the lab ever since.

As a lab technician, Allanah spends her days processing donor milk. She arrives early in the morning to set out and thaw all the milk for the day, then handles it through each step, including nutritional analysis and pasteurization.

“Team work is super important,” Allanah said of working in the lab. The five lab technicians are together all day, and have developed quite an efficient system. “We can anticipate what the others need before they ask.”

Allanah feels like she is in her element when she’s at work, as she is a detail-oriented person and there are countless important details to consider when processing milk. Rules and regulations are vital in the lab in order to ensure the milk is safe for medically fragile babies.

What may surprise people, Allanah said, is how diverse donors’ milk can be. “It varies so much, from color to smell to consistency,” she said. And, while not visible to the eye, there is variation in nutritional content as well.

Regardless of variety, every single ounce of donor milk can make a difference in babies’ lives. The lab technicians work hard to use this liquid gold to its fullest potential, knowing that even just one ounce can feed three premature infants.

Overall, working at the milk bank is a rewarding experience for Allanah. She enjoys working every day to help others. Not only does milk banking benefit needy infants and their families, she says, but it’s also a great experience for donor moms. “Donor moms do so much for us, and I think we also do something for them by showing them how their hard work pays off,” she said.

For more information about Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas, click here.