In celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, held from August 1 to 6, Netcare Linmed hosted a breastfeeding expo to encourage the benefits of breastfeeding among expectant moms.
Verena Bolton, the national coordinator of Netcare’s Ncelisa Human Milk Banks, shared the importance of becoming a milk donor, stating that donor milk is vital in the care of premature babies and babies who have been orphaned at birth.
There are currently four human milk reserves in South Africa.
Since 2017 Netcare has established five banks and 36 collection points country-wide, where donors are screened, milk supplies collected, pasteurised, bottled and finally frozen.
“Milk donation is not a new concept and was formally introduced in Boston in 1909,” said Bolton.
“It has become more formalised to ensure that donor milk is suitable for use for infants in various stages of development.
“In the case of prem-babies, we ensure that donated milk is from a mother whose baby was also born prematurely or as close as possible to the recipient’s birth to ensure that they get vital micro-nutrients to ensure optimal growth and development.”
Breast milk nutrients change as the baby grows, therefore it is essential to pair donated milk with the recipient’s age.
Bolton continues by saying like blood, breastmilk is a scarce resource which can save lives.
Under strict storage mandates, donated milk has a six-month self-life which means that ‘banked’ milk for various ages is available at all times.
Bolton clarified that women who have had Covid-19, test positive at birth or who have received Covid vaccines are still eligible to donate milk as the virus is not present in breastmilk.
For more information about breastmilk donations, contact your nearest Netcare hospital.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Local hospitals honour nurses on International Nurses Day
ALSO READ: #internationalnursesday: Veteran male nurse shares his story
