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.

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.

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.