Introduction:
Breast milk banks are becoming another booming healthcare industry. Many mothers are facing problems breastfeeding their preterm delivered babies. As a result, the death rate among preterm infants is high. Many non-governmental agencies and several women are participating in these awareness programs where they can donate breast milk and save the lives of many children.
What Are Breast Milk Banks?
Human breast milk banks are facilities where various women donate their breast milk to support other women unable to produce it. Breast milk is pasteurized and stored at optimum temperatures for its use. Various processes are followed before delivering the milk to the baby. Each milk sample is screened for infection, and the bottles are sealed. Strict guidelines are followed to avoid cross-infection. The concept of breast milk is important, as knowing the importance of natural human breast milk.
What Are the Guidelines for Breast Milk Donation?
Before donating breast milk, each woman has to sign a consent form agreeing to donate her breast milk. Every woman who donates breast milk has to undergo various medical examinations to ensure the fitness of the donor. Blood samples are collected from the donor to check for infectious diseases like HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. Once the milk is checked for infection, it is sent for pasteurization. From there, the milk is stored in a deep freezer at minus twenty-degree centigrade. This stored milk can be preserved for as long as six months. Babies with a severe infection under four months of age can be treated with a supply of breast milk banks.
Who Can Opt for a Breast Milk Bank?
The increased surge of preterm deliveries and the incapacity of mothers to produce breast milk has opened doors for other secondary mediums like breast milk banks. The following population can opt for breast milk banks:
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Nutritional insufficiency in infants.
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Preterm deliveries.
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Difficulty in digestion in children.
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Poor birth weight.
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In sick infants.
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Poor immune response in children.
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Complicated deliveries where the mother is admitted to the ICU (Intensive care unit) due to profuse bleeding or other medical emergencies.
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The inability of mothers to produce breast milk.
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Death of a mother.
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Malnutrition mother.
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Mothers with other chronic illnesses.
What Are the Benefits of Breast Milk Donation?
There are many added benefits to the lives of the donor and the recipient in the act of breast milk donation. Some of the known benefits are as follows:
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It helps create more stimulus for the production of milk, which can feed more than one kid at a time.
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It helps in reducing unwanted calories from the mother's body.
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Prevents the risk of cancer.
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Helps eliminate the excess milk from the ducts.
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Makes the mother and baby healthier.
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Human breast milk cannot be counterfeited and can only be produced from the human body with its unique nutritive composition.
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Helps to feed the babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICU).
What Are the Causes of Low Breast Milk Supply?
Every woman starts producing milk after the first few hours of delivery. Women who are unable to produce enough milk could be due to the following reasons:
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Anemic mothers.
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An Imbalance in thyroid hormones, as an increase in thyroid hormone, causes prolactin deficiency, which is responsible for the production of milk.
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Women who have undergone any breast surgeries, as in the case of breast cancer.
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Diabetic mothers.
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Dysfunction of pituitary glands which produce hormones of lactation.
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Clogged ducts.
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Inverted nipples.
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Congenital conditions of babies make it difficult for them to breastfeed. For example, Down syndrome, mental retardation, autism, and so on.
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Premature delivery of babies having underdeveloped reflexes for sucking, swallowing, and breathing.
What Are the Symptoms of Low Breast Milk Supply?
The following are the signs and symptoms of reduced breast milk supply:
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The inability of a baby to poop regularly is a sign of poor nutritional intake. If the baby poops small amounts of liquid poops once in a while, then it indicates a poor feeding mechanism.
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Continuous milk feeding habits make the baby wet diapers eight to ten times a day. If this is not happening, it is a sign that the baby is not getting enough milk.
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If the baby has yellowish urine, then it means that the baby is not getting sufficient liquid to hydrate itself. The baby requires more water which is absorbed through a mother's milk at least for the first six months of delivery.
How Can Breast Milk Supply Be Increased?
There are various methods by which a mother can try to increase her breast milk supply. They are:
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Taking a balanced and nutritious diet.
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Adding more fenugreek seeds to the diet or drinking fenugreek-soaked water on an empty stomach.
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Taking supplement tablets like iron, zinc, and calcium regularly.
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Creating an optimum feeding position to ensure proper latching of breast tissue.
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Assisting the baby in sucking milk by squeezing or pumping the breasts for proper milk ejection.
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Switching to alternate breasts.
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Using breast pump devices in between the nursing intervals.
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Feeding the baby frequently to increase the demand and supply stimulus.
What Are the Major Concerns of Breast Milk Banks?
Many social taboos exist with breast milk supply banks. Some doctors themselves are not welcoming the concept of breastfeeding among non-biological mothers. Many are concerned over the purity of milk supplied. Many superstitious beliefs exist among certain communities, thinking the child’s love towards their mother will reduce if he or she consumes other women’s milk. Other challenges are a lack of infrastructure and donors to promote this program. Breast milk banks are very crucial in eliminating untimely deaths among preterm-born babies. Many co-laborers must implement such programs as lactational counselors, dedicated donors, doctors, nurses, midwives, and administrators.
Conclusion:
Just like blood and organ donation campaigns which save the lives of thousands, a breast milk donation is also a noble act of saving the lives of millions of babies who die due to nutritional deficiency. The baby has more breast milk tolerance than any other nutritional supply. India has recorded the highest preterm deliveries in the past few years. Almost three point five million babies are born preterm, and about three lac of them die due to this complication. More women should come up with their testimonies of milk donation to empower other women to stand shoulder to shoulder in this act of saving humanity.
