View Larger Image
On Oct. 8, UAMS hosted a small gathering for the Hays family at the Milk Bank to view the My Love Lives On Memorial. Image by Andrew Vogler

UAMS Milk Bank Unveils My Love Lives On Memorial

Nov. 6, 2024 | The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Milk Bank relies on a network of women who donate their milk to help fragile preemies in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) around the state. Many donations come from moms who produce more milk than their baby needs. But some donations come from women who lost a child during pregnancy or infancy.

To remember those losses and to honor a mother’s decision to donate her milk, the Milk Bank commissioned an installation in the shape of a tree, with leaves bearing the names of babies who have died. On Oct. 8, UAMS hosted a small gathering at the Milk Bank to view this memorial and place the first name on it — Witt Clinton Hays, the late infant son of Emily and Clint Hays. The couple was present at the gathering to place the first leaf on the memorial, now named the My Love Lives On Memorial.

“The memorial is very special to our family,” said Emily Hays. “It is a place where we can honor our son, while also providing a place for other families who experience similar loss a way to honor their child.”

It is estimated that one in four pregnancies end in miscarriage, and about one in 175 births in the United States are stillbirths. Almost as many children die each year in infancy as all other pediatric age groups combined, and many of these deaths occur in the neonatal period. To help families who are experiencing this type of loss, UAMS offers support through the Love Lives Perinatal Bereavement Program.

“October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month — an opportunity to remember the thousands of families who have experienced perinatal loss, and a way to honor the babies who are no longer here with us,” said Sara E. Peeples, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology and medical director of the UAMS NICU. “Perinatal loss is unfortunately far too common an event, and one that is often heartbreaking, devastating and life-altering for families. We want our UAMS families who have experienced this type of loss to know that we are here for them, to offer resources, comfort and support.”

Located in the Monroe Building just off UAMS’ main campus in Little Rock, the Milk Bank focuses on the health of mothers and newborns in Arkansas through encouragement and support of breastfeeding. The Milk Bank helps ensure a ready supply of donor milk for sick and vulnerable infants in NICUs around the state, shortening the time it takes for regional hospitals to receive critical milk supplies and improving outcomes for babies.

The Milk Bank opened in September 2023. In its first year, the program has experienced tremendous growth, supporting the creation of 11 new milk depots around the state, bringing the total to 14 facilities where milk can be donated. Milk depots are designated spaces for women to donate milk, which is then sent to the Milk Bank for screening, pasteurization and nutritional analysis. After processing, milk is sent, according to need, to hospitals throughout Arkansas. Through this program, mothers in Arkansas can donate their milk, while also having a point of access for support if they need physical, emotional or spiritual care.

“We are extremely happy with the progress of the Milk Bank and its regional depot program and hope to continue expanding access to underserved communities,” said Misty L. Virmani, M.D., executive medical director of the UAMS Milk Bank, associate professor of pediatrics and neonatology and director of breastfeeding medicine. “We also want the Milk Bank, in concert with the milk depots, to be a place where mothers can receive resources, including physical and mental health support.”

In the last year, the Milk Bank has received 192,000 ounces of donated milk and has distributed 16,356 bottles of milk to NICUs in Arkansas and 1,651 bottles to families of infants at home.

“The mothers in our state have been incredibly generous and have allowed us to help hundreds of patients have better outcomes through the use of human milk,” added Virmani. “In donating their milk, women in Arkansas are sharing a precious gift of life and nourishment, transforming their blessing and abundance into hope for fragile infants and their families. Milk donation after a bereavement can be a profound act of love, providing comfort and healing not only to the bereaved family but also to the fragile infants who need it. It transforms loss into a legacy of compassion, helping families find purpose and connection in their grief.”

The UAMS Milk Bank would not exist today without a philanthropic gift made in 2022 by Charles A. Hays Jr., who gave $50,000 to create the Witt Clinton Hays Human Milk Bank Support Fund in memory of his late grandson. The express intention of this fund was to support the creation of the milk bank and to help improve the survival rate of premature babies throughout Arkansas.

“It is our family’s hope that our contribution to the Witt Clinton Hays Memorial for the UAMS Milk Bank will help to fulfill part of God’s plan and in some way contribute to the healing of those grieving and at the same time provide hope to those in need,” said Hays. “The loss of a loved one, especially a child, creates an unimaginable pain — this level of pain is only survived by the grieving families with the help of God. As Paul said in Romans 8:28, ‘We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him and are chosen to be a part of His plan.’”