Twitter
Advertisement

Moms thrilled at prospect of feeding babies in need

Every year, 5,500 babies are born in Wadia Hospital, of which up to 400 babies are premature in need of breast milk

Latest News
article-main
The milk can be stored between 2-4 degrees celsius for three days, during which time it undergoes bacteriological testing. It is later pasteurized at 67 degrees celsius in a machine and is later put in deep cold storage at -8 degrees celsius.
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Sarika Jadhav (30) is a worried mom. Her infant son is admitted to the NICU and is on ventilator. But keeping her anxiety aside, she donated 40 ml of her breast milk to the newly-inaugurated human milk bank at Nowrosjee Wadia Maternity Hospital in Parel on Monday. "My young son is ill and is not taking enough feed," said Jadhav adding "I am thrilled that my leftover milk will now be of help to other babies in need of feed."

Same was the case with Tarminnissa Shah (28) and Parvin Farooque. They too donated a portion (5 ml each) of their breast milk, which was collected in a steel metal container and preserved in a fridge at Wadia hospital.

Four nurses are trained in Wadia Hospital to conduct the process of extraction, processing, storage and feeding of milk to babies. "Mothers in the hospital are counselled to donate their excess milk to the bank. Consent is obtained from donating mothers and families of recipient children who will be fed the milk," said Deepa Chugh, matron at Wadia Hospital. Nurses could be seen taking rounds of the post-natal ward armed with manual and automatic sterile pumps to aid extraction of breast milk from willing mothers, whose blood has been tested prior to the extraction for HIV and other illnesses.

"If there is a need for feeding the baby within three days, we do not store the milk in cold storage. Excess milk can be put in cold storage and stays good for up to hundred days. Before feeding, it is thawed and fed at normal room temperature," said Chugh.

Chief Minister's wife Amruta Fadnavis, who spoke at the inauguration of the milk bank, had wondered if milk from another mother can be fed to a newborn. Senior paediatrician Dr Y Amdekar replied in her speech: "Yes, a newborn can be fed milk of a mother who may not be biologically his or her. At times, mothers of premature babies do not produce breast milk. In such a situation it becomes necessary to feed the newborn another mother's milk or artificial formula feed," she said.

A newborn may require 60-90 ml of mother's milk every 2-3 hours. As it grows older it may consume close to 100-150 ml of milk every 2-3 hours. Parents are advised by doctors not to feed their children with artificial feed, derived from milk component of animals. "In rare cases it can lead to necrotizing enterocolitis, where a preterm baby may develop gangrene in the intestine due to an internal infection. In many cases, feeding animal milk to babies can lead to them getting allergic to it as they grow up," said Dr Ashwini Jogade, medical superintendent, Wadia Hospital.

For Jadhav, it was a relief to give away her excess milk. "Mothers who do not give away milk develop heaviness in breasts which may later lead to pus and abscess-like condition. It makes the mothers ill, uncomfortable and feverish," said Dr Jogade.

Every year, 5,500 babies are born in Wadia Hospital, of which up to 400 babies are premature. "At any given point 15-20 babies are in need of human milk in the neo-natal intensive care unit at the hospital," said Dr Minnie Bodhanwala, CEO, Wadia Hospital.

Twenty-five years ago, BMC-run Sion Hospital became the first hospital in Asia to have a human milk bank. State-run Cama Hospital too has a bank in place.

Safe-storing breast milk
The milk can be stored between 2-4 degrees celsius for three days, during which time it undergoes bacteriological testing. It is later pasteurized at 67 degrees celsius in a machine and is later put in deep cold storage at -8 degrees celsius.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement