Breast milk is called the child’s first vaccine. It not only protects against infectious diseases but also helps in epithelial recovery and reduces the risk of death from hypothermia; Especially in cases of premature birth, where the risk of infant mortality is higher. Human milk is also known to reduce the frequency of diarrhea, and respiratory infections and also reduces the incidence of chronic diseases like obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and allergic diseases in adulthood. Breastfeeding mothers also benefit as it is known to reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Donating breastmilk has been an age-old practice. In earlier times, a woman, referred to as a wet nurse, would directly breastfeed an unrelated infant. Today this practice has been made safe for the child and the volunteer.
Amara’, the first Pasteurized Breast Milk Foundation in NCR is an initiative by Fortis La Fame, New Delhi towards expanding the breast milk banking network in India. Currently, the bank has 21 active donors who donate breastmilk every 10-15 days.
Collected human milk is given to infants up to 1500 weeks premature or weighing less than 32 weeks. Due to lack of availability of active donors, the bank is not able to donate milk for babies who are born normal but are malnourished.
However, there are some cases when breastfeeding is not possible. Breast milk banks play a role in this.
What is Human Milk Bank?
These are milk storage centers, usually attached to a nursery or hospital, that collect, screen, and store human milk from healthy lactating mothers and to provide it to infants who are biologically obese from these donors. Are not related to. Instead of direct feeding, breast milk is collected by milk banks and kept sterile. Milk undergoes pasteurization and is stored at low temperatures. The entire process is done in a systematic manner and includes proper assessment and examination of the mother before collecting the milk. By doing this, it is ensured that the health of the baby is not at stake.
Who can benefit from a breast milk bank?
Children who lose their mothers as soon as they are born.
babies who are born prematurely [born before 32 weeks gestation] or are born with diseases such as short-gut syndrome, malnutrition or immune deficiency
Mothers of weak, hospitalized infants who are unable to breastfeed them.
Due to their own weak health or other reasons, mothers are not able to provide enough milk for their babies such as in the case of twins or triplets.
Orphan/abandoned children.
Who can donate milk?
Any healthy lactating mother who is not taking any specific prohibited drugs, including jaundice, TB, and testing negative for VDRL and HIV.
Mothers who have unfortunately lost their babies after birth can be active volunteers in breast milk donation as it is known to have not only physical but also psychological healing effects.
India ranks among the countries with the highest infant mortality rate and human breast milk can help reduce it to a great extent. Even though the first human milk bank in India was established 27 years ago, still not enough has been done to meet the unmet needs.
The biggest challenge is the social stigma and taboo associated with breast milk donation. Donated breast milk is considered ‘liquid gold’ by health experts and acts as a boon for babies with poor health and weak immune systems. All nursing mothers should contribute to this noble endeavour. A little extra effort can help save a few lives.
Breast milk donation process
1. Mother having extra milk
The first and most important thing is to make sure that breast milk is established before you feed your baby so that you can decide to donate any of your excess breast milk. If your baby is fully breastfed and you still have extra breast milk, you can apply to donate your extra breast milk. You can donate newly expressed milk or previously frozen milk (up to 10 months of expression) as long as it is clearly marked with the month, day and year and time of expression. This entire qualification process should take about 4-5 weeks. You’ll receive step-by-step information throughout the process, so you know what to expect at each step.
2. Online Application and Review
To be eligible to donate your excess breast milk, you must first complete an online application. The application includes a consent (to donate) and a medical history survey with approximately 70 questions. There are a number of questions you will answer before donating blood and it takes about 20 minutes to complete. Once your application is approved, you will receive an email from the milk bank with detailed information on the next steps. You will usually receive a response within 5 business days of submitting your application.
3. medically approved forms
The breast milk you donate will be used to make nutritional formula for critically ill, premature babies. To ensure milk quality, donors need to make sure that donors have confirmation from their medical provider and the baby’s pediatrician to ensure that both mother and baby are healthy, and for the mother to donate her extra breast milk. It is okay to donate.
4. Breast milk donor testing
If you are a new donor, you will be sent a donor testing kit, which includes a thermometer to measure the temperature of the freezer(s) in which you plan to store your milk, as well as a blood sample and a Also includes vials for collecting DNA samples. Blood screening tests will be arranged by a national laboratory. You will be asked to provide a cheek swab to create a DNA identification profile that will match the DNA in your breast milk to that profile. This is to ensure that milk is obtained only from donors who have been screened and is an important step in ensuring the safety of milk that is used to feed critically ill, premature babies. Will be done for.
5. Labeling, Filling, Freezing and Packing Milk Donation
The nearest facility will provide you with breast milk storage bags and instructions on how to collect, label, and store breast milk for donation. Once you qualify, you will receive detailed instructions for packing and shipping your breast milk.