A Doctor's Thank You letter to all the mothers donating milk:
"After work, I’d dash for the train so I could get home to put the milk in the fridge. I felt I was carrying a scarce resource that I had to guard with my life."
Nwabisa (donor mother) - Pinelands
"I truly recommend becoming a breast milk donor to all mothers. It is such a rewarding experience to know that you are helping give a baby the very best start in life."
Melanie (breastmilk donor) - Kenilworth
"No matter how much milk I managed to donate (which at times wasn't much) it was gratefully received by Milk Matters. They were also very helpful and organised, making the whole process really smooth and painless. I definitely plan to donate again in the future."
Leigh M (breastmik donor) - Kirstenhof
About Us
- History
- The Team
The Team
Louise Goosen
Louise, who presently chairs Milk Matters, is married and has successfully raised three children, all of whom she breastfed. Originally qualified as a Registered Nurse and Midwife she has been working with mothers and babies ever since and currently holds the position of Chairman of the Breastfeeding Association, of which she became a member 25 years ago.
Louise, a qualified International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and a founder member of the Kangaroo Mother Care Foundation, works as a lactation consultant at Mowbray Maternity Hospital in Cape Town. She also finds time to fill the role of a 'Mother & Baby Friendly Hospital' assessor for hospitals in the Western Cape. On top of this she trains doulas and healthcare professionals and is a trainer for the Mother and Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative.
A respected voice in the industry Louise presents numerous workshops on breastfeeding and writes for many baby publications and journals.
In her spare time Louise can be found walking, running and beading.
Linda Glynn
Married with one child, whom she breastfed for a year, Linda is a Registered Nurse, Midwife, Community Health Nurse and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She has been working with mothers and babies since 1984 and is extremely passionate regarding breastfeeding. She can be presently found working as an IBCLC and a Kangaroo Mother Care Consultant at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital. When she is not helping mothers and babies with breastfeeding, she can be found training medical, nursing and dietetic students in the management of breastfeeding.
A trainer for the Breastfeeding Association she helps train healthcare professionals, presents breastfeeding workshops and writes for various baby publications and journals.
A founder member of the Kangaroo Mother Care Foundation she helped start Milk Matters and is still involved as a volunteer.
When she can Linda enjoys indulging in reading a good book, working in her garden and sewing.
Jacquie Nutt
A founder member of Milk Matters in December 2002, Jacquie is still involved as a volunteer. She has been interested in milk banking since hearing a talk in 1997 by Lois Arnold, the founder of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.
Born in Zimbabwe before moving to South Africa in 2000 Jacquie has been a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor for La Leche League International for 15 years and volunteered as a lactation consultant at the Mowbray Maternity Hospital. She became an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant in 1999 and currently runs a private practice in Wellington, Western Cape. She is the South African coordinator for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.
Her work experiences have convinced her that breast milk is a vital path to optimal health for all babies, and she is determined to help those babies whose mothers cannot produce milk for them.
Jacquie has two wonderful teenagers whom she breastfed for some years.
Having recently become involved in farming organic herbs Jacquie is passionately interested in conservation and environmental issues.
Lynne Heydenrych
The treasurer at Milk Matters, Lynne has a BSc Nursing and Midwifery from WITS University in Gauteng. She has also obtained international certifications as a Childbirth Educator (ICCE) and Lactation Consultant (IBCLC).
The fields of childbirth education and breastfeeding have been her passion and prime interest for the past 19 years. She runs her own private childbirth education course and baby clinic, offering support to both expectant and post-natal couples.
She is a committee member of the S.P.N.P. (Society of Private Nursing Practitioners), has organized several Baby and Birth Education workshops during pregnancy awareness week, and is a guest speaker at workshops. She also provides training updates for health professionals, has assisted with the training of doulas, has written several articles for magazines and journals and has also helped in the establishment and promotion of the Western Cape Human Milk Bank, now Milk Matters.
With two sons, Nicholas (28) and Ryan (25) she lives in Cape Town with her husband Rick, where she enjoys yoga, walking, reading, playing the piano and ceramic restoration.
Jenny Wright
Being baby mad and drawn to the medical field Jenny has always wanted a job where she could be in contact with a wide variety of people and make a positive difference in other people's lives. "Working at Milk Matters gives me all that and more," says Jenny.
Married with one daughter, Jenny's successful and very special breastfeeding experience with her baby, along with learning more about the benefits of breastfeeding, inspired her to want other mothers to enjoy the positive experience that she did. Her desire to be actively involved in achieving this grew along with her frustration at the number of moms giving up breastfeeding because of insufficient or inadequate help.
In October 2005 she followed her heart and did a breastfeeding course with the aim of helping mothers with breastfeeding problems. By chance, she heard of the opportunity of working for a few hours a week at a breastmilk bank and jumped at that.
Now the part-time coordinator of Milk Matters, she spends far more time on it than originally planned and does whatever needs doing in a wide range of areas.
She is determined to contribute towards as many babies having access to breastmilk as possible, whether from their own mother or a breastmilk bank. Making a difference to the health of so many babies is an incredible opportunity and she finds herself working with inspiring people in the form of the staff and those involved as milk donors or supporting Milk Matters in other ways.
Her hobbies include reading, gardening, and art.
