North plea for breast milk

luckat

If anyone knows anyone who could donate....


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4318136.stm


Last Updated: Friday, 7 October 2005, 11:19 GMT 12:19 UK

Plea for human milk donations
Urgent supplies of human milk are being sought to help save the lives of sick babies in Northern Ireland.

The Sperrin Lakeland Human Milk Bank, the only one of its kind in the province, needs donor breast milk as it is running low in supplies.

Based in County Fermanagh, the milk bank processes and stores the breast milk which is used to feed sick babies in hospitals and other specialist baby units throughout Ireland.

Neo-natal unit
Sick babies can benefit from human breast milk

Breast milk, with its minerals, digestive enzymes and antibodies, has long been credited with keeping babies healthy.

But it is particularly good for post-operation babies because it is easier to digest than cow's milk formula.

Co-ordinator Anne McCrea said many people were unaware the milk bank existed, but appealed to nursing mothers for their help.

"Our milk goes out to all the neo-natal units in Northern Ireland. So we regularly help very, very tiny babies from as much as 500g up," she said.

"The milk goes out to children who have had other gut problems. The other place that uses a lot of our milk is the children's heart surgery unit in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast.

"They've discovered that if they have babies that are very, very poorly with heart conditions, they have a very bad circulation to their gut.

"Their guts are at great risk after heart surgery unless they have human milk because it is much easier to digest."

Anne maintains a baby that has the benefit of human milk after an operation will leave hospital in about 13 days compared to three months if it is on formula milk.

Image of breastfeeding
Milk banks supply donor breast milk

Ten-week-old Pearce McEwan is one of the babies whose recovery was aided by donated human milk.

He was born with a badly twisted bowel which required three operations.

Although the surgery was a success, the stress of the ordeal meant his mother, Geraldine, was unable to breastfeed.

He was given donor milk because he could not tolerate formula milk.

"I tried Pearce with a formula and his wee bowel just couldn't take it and the nurses explained to me about the donor milk bank and that somebody else could do it for me," she said.

"It was fantastic, it was the only food Pearce could tolerate. Pearce responded extremely well. He could not receive any other feed.

"He was too sick to receive anything. This feed was just the best one for him and it was fantastic that somebody could help me out."

The donated milk has to pass rigorous checks before it is made available to babies.

As well as several checks for bacteria, protein and fat content it is also pasteurised.

The best milk, the colostrum, which is is high in protein, fat and antibodies, is sent to the most needy babies.

It lines the gut and prepares it for harsher foodstuffs.

Anyone wishing to donate needs to undergo an initial blood test.

They must be breast-feeding, a non smoker, and not on any drugs which could pass into the milk and not have had a blood transfusion since 1980.

Donors have to express some milk, and store it in a freezer in the house, before taking it to the milk bank.

For more information contact the milk bank on 028 686 28 333.

unkel

Wow, never knew such a thing as a human milk bank existed. We all know breast is best, but:

luckat wrote:

a baby that has the benefit of human milk after an operation will leave hospital in about 13 days compared to three months if it is on formula milk

That's astonishing!

Two pointers that spring to mind straight away:

1. Awareness. Posters in neo-natal clinics, nurseries, maternity wards, even GP surgeries

2. Supply. Mothers that partially or fully express milk should be a great source. Breast milk is supplied to some extent based on demand, so if the mother's own baby demands say 900ml/day, it would be easy enough in many cases to increase "demand" by expressing an extra 100 or 200ml/day which could than be freezed and supplied to the bank

Are you involved in some way with the milk bank? If not I will ring them to see if above pointers could be of any help to them

luckat

No, not involved, just saw it and thought this forum would be a good place to pass it on.

unkel

I'm abroad at the moment. I'll give them a call on Monday

iguana

Does this really work. What kind of shelf life does breast milk have? Surely by the time all the safety checks are complete the milk has gone bad.

Breast milk from HIV+ mothers is one of the most common causes of the diseases transmission. It's not the only one, but it is the worst.

Hagar

Don't do it !!!

Going on recent history in N.Ireland it will only lead to more tit for tat incidents.;)

Talliesin

iguana wrote:

Does this really work.

Yes, the milkbank in Enniskillen has been a great success. In less backward countries than this one they have a lot more. It's ridiculous that in a modern technologically advanced country we don't have one in all our major cities.

iguana wrote:

What kind of shelf life does breast milk have?

With a good well-maintained freezer, frozen breastmilk can keep for around six months. The advice that it only keeps for around 4 months for those freezing their own is based on the standards of domestic freezers not being as high as those of properly maintained hospital freezers.

iguana

Fair enough, I didn't realise it could last so long. I guess that as long as the milk is tested for infections it is a good idea.

luckat

Naughty Hagar!

(Laughing till I bust!)