Plan to create breast milk bank

Dickon Hooper
BBC News

Baby Rufus is lucky to be alive.

Rufus spent some seven weeks in hospital

He was born nine weeks premature at 4lbs 8oz and nearly died in childbirth along with his mother, Helen Farr, when the placenta became unattached.

Added to that, Rufus' father Darren Walmsley had to dash to Southmead Hospital in Bristol every two hours through the night for four days with expressed breast milk to help keep his son alive.

Ms Farr, 33, was not allowed to stay in the neo-natal unit, so Mr Walmsley made regular 10-minute car journeys from their home in Horfield.

"It was awful leaving him every day and really stressful for both of us," said Ms Farr, who manages a baby shop in Bristol. "It was a nightmare thinking there wouldn't be enough milk.

"It was really hard work and the more stressed I got, the less milk I produced."

The hospital had some frozen breast milk, but it was reserved for a 23-week-old infant.

"It was mentally tough going up there every day. Just waiting," said IT manager Mr Walmsley, 28.

If there was a breast milk bank and people knew about it, a lot of people would use it and babies would get a better start Helen Farr

"But there comes a time when it's a question of when he's coming home, not if. Up until then, it is mentally draining."

Some relief for West Country parents of premature babies could, however, be at hand.

A fundraising campaign has been launched to reinstate the breast milk bank at Southmead Hospital, offering mothers of premature and special care babies a 24-hour on-demand supply of mother's milk.

Donors will be sought to fill the bank - but it is believed willing volunteers can be found as similar schemes operate in many other parts of the country.

"I feel passionately that breast milk is the perfect food for babies," said Eva Fernandes, a fundraiser for the Precious Drops campaign.

"The target is £250,000, which is more than is needed to set it up. We need money for the equipment - freezers, fridges, bottles and so on - and the running costs.

"We are hoping people will come forward and say they want to do something to raise money.

"It is amazing how many people who have had babies in special care want to support this."

Rufus is now breast feeding fine

Mothers of premature babies often either have difficulty in producing, or simply cannot produce, their own milk.

Their bodies might not be ready, or the stress of a neo-natal baby might just be too much.

Added to this, premature babies are at risk of developing a potentially fatal intestinal infection called necrotizing enterocolitis - the best medicine for which is breast milk.

Rufus is going to be the face of the Precious Drops campaign, wholly supported by his parents.

"If there was a breast milk bank and people knew about it, a lot of people would use it and babies would get a better start," said Ms Farr.