Nair Hospital starts a human milk bank

By on

Breastfeeding is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is 6 months old. Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years or beyond. But, sometimes mothers cannot provide breast milk to their children. Owing to which, BYL Nair Hospital has started a milk bank

Nair-Hospital

  • A human milk bank essentially stores breast milk of lactating mothers and feeds babies of mothers unable to produce enough milk. Causes for lactation issues range from tension to weakness. The milk bank is a simple set-up, comprising a cold storage, breast pumps and storage bottles or packages.
  • There are 517 milk banks around the world and 13 in India.
  • Mumbai’s Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Sion Hospital, Rajawadi Hospital and KEM Hospital has a milk bank. Now, BYL Nair Hospital has started a milk bank.

Speaking to My Medical Mantra, Dr Sushma Malik, Professor and Unit Head of Neonatology at BYL Nair Hospital said, “Many a times, after delivery the mother cannot produce milk. Due to which, the only option left is milk bank. Through this, milk donated by the other mothers is given to the babies. Every month, we witness 32 to 40 women who cannot produce milk. Due to which, we have started the milk bank.”

Criteria for donating milk:

  • Those women who produce large amount of milk
  • Those mothers who do not have any disease
  • Mothers of premature babies
  • Mother who has given birth to twins

  , , , , , , ,