If you have ever donated your blood, you know the satisfaction it gives — the satisfaction of possibly being involved directly in saving someone’s life. What if we tell you that you can save a little life by going through a less painful procedure? Yes, you heard it right. You are powerful in ways that you do not know yet, and if you have recently delivered a baby, then you can use those powers for the good of others.
We are talking about Milk Donation here. While donating one’s own milk is not out of the ordinary, it is still a taboo in many societies. There is just one thing we have to say on this topic — if you have enough to donate; donate!
We understand that it is not easy to do something new (and that too for someone else!) and you might have your own set of doubts. So, here are a few questions answered on the topic:
Why is human milk important for infants?
It is often recommended to breastfeed a baby exclusively for the first 6 months. Besides being the ideal food for a baby because of its balanced mixture of necessary nutrients, it has antibodies that are not found in a baby formula. It also prevents the baby from allergies, respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and diarrhea. Besides, it is easy to digest and lowers the risk of diabetes and obesity in the baby.
Who can donate?
Any mother who is currently breastfeeding her child and has surplus milk can donate. However, to become a donor, the mother should not be on any heavy medication, should not be undergoing radiotherapy, and should not be consuming any illicit drug, alcohol, nicotine, and tobacco. In addition to this, the donor has to undergo a series of medical tests to ensure that she is not a carrier of any communicable disease like HIV, Hepatitis B, etc.
How to become a donor?
After ensuring that her own baby has enough and she won’t be stressed because of the donation work, a mother can decide to donate her milk. For becoming a donor, one has to contact a certified milk bank, fill-up a few forms, and get herself tested. We recommend a non-profit milk bank as these are genuine and do not sell the milk for a profit, thus ensuring that the milk reaches the right baby and is not sold off to a corporate entity for luxury products. Also, because money is not involved, there is no reason to adulterate the milk to increase the volume artificially.
If you do not know about the milk banks in your area, here is a map to help you out — https://www.internationalmilkbanking.org/index/worldbanks/
You can also get in contact with your local hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit. Because such units often care for preterm babies, there is a good chance that their mothers have not started lactating and need your help.
You can also sign up for other initiatives where you can feed a needy infant directly, though there are certain emotional issues involved in the process.
How is the milk stored and processed?
The milk is pumped with utmost safety after sterilizing the pump and the storage bags carefully. Once the milk has been pumped and filled up, it is frozen before the mother sends it to the bank. The mother is often required to put the date of expression on the bag.
After being collected in the bank, the milk is pasteurized before feeding it to the baby to ensure that it is free of any bacterial growth and does not contain any virus.
The shelf life of this processed milk is about 2–3 months.
How does it work?
The bank and the paediatrician decide about the urgency of the situation and the milk is provided accordingly. Mostly, donated milk is given to at-risk babies in hospitals. It is also given to babies whose mothers cannot produce enough milk due to some medical condition. Adopted babies and infants born through surrogacy are also given breast milk.
Having talked about breast milk donation and its necessity, it is also important that we tell you that there is nothing wrong with the formula, especially when donated milk is not an option. We agree that the formula does not contain the antibodies that are present only in breast milk, but it is safe. However, coming back to the topic, breast milk is the most recommended food for a baby, and thus, donating your breast milk should be a proud (ethical) thing to do!
Before you go and Google about the nearest milk bank, here is a blog for you to help you get inspired to help those little ones out there!
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Picture Credits — Google
Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.