If Your Jugs Runneth Over

Breastmilk donation is a fairly new concept in South Africa and there are many amazing organisations that are making this life saving model a reality.

Though many mothers think they have the problem of having too little milk for their own babies, there are even more mothers who have the issue of having too much milk for their little button - and many are throwing it away. Please don't do this, your breastmilk can and will save the lives of many prem babies.

Firstly, why should you donate breastmilk? From www.health24.com

“Breastfeeding provides advantages to the general health, growth and development of an infant while significantly decreasing the risk for a large number of acute and chronic diseases,” says Nellie Koen, National Coordinator of Netcare’s Stork’s Nest. “But there are several more advantages to breastfeeding which can be linked to socio-economic factors, especially in developing countries.”

After giving birth many mothers these days choose not to breastfeed for differing reasons. Yet there are also those who cannot breastfeed, however much they may want to, due to complications resulting from, amongst others, trauma or HIV.

Important for premature babies
“One of the areas in paediatric care where the importance of breast milk becomes an imperative rather than a choice is with premature babies,” says Koen. “It is essential for premature babies to receive breast milk in order to prevent Necrotic Entero Colitis (NEC). However, not all mothers are able to produce breast milk for their newborns. This is why we want to place specific emphasis on the South African Breastmilk Reserve’s ‘breastmilk banks’, which we have set up in four of our hospitals, and the ‘Feed for Life’ initiative that has resulted from it.”

Koen explains: “Through the ‘Feed for Life’ initiative we are able to share pasteurised breastmilk from lactating mothers with babies who are unable to access breast milk from their own mothers. Mothers whose babies spend some time in the neonatal ICU (NICU) are encouraged and supported to express breastmilk for their babies. However, these infants only require small quantities of the milk and, upon their release, the leftover breastmilk in the hospital’s freezers can be put to better use rather than being thrown away.”

The ‘leftover’ pasteurised breastmilk from participating mothers, who have donated the excess milk, is therefore made available for other babies in the NICU or other hospitals - public or private. The donated breastmilk is pasteurised according to strict medical protocols and guidelines to ensure that the milk is delivered safely to the babies in need, whilst the ‘Feed for Life’ initiative is supported by the SARB.

How can you donate breastmilk? Visit www.sabr.org.za

Presently three breastmilk bank groups operate in South Africa. South African Breastmilk Reserve (Gauteng), iThembalethu, (Durban) and Milk Matters (Cape Town).

SABR operates as follows:

• We service the entire Gauteng Region.
• The South African Breastmilk Reserve is a charitable organisation that aims to bring the livelihood and safety of pasteurised breastmilk to infants. Our vision is to stimulate and support the formation of community-driven breastmilk banks and to teach HIV-positive mothers how to pasteurise their breastmilk at home, so as to safely feed their babies. We strive towards a South Africa ‘living with HIV/AIDS’, rather than ‘dying of HIV/AIDS’.
• SABR is an association registered under Section 21 of the Companies Act, registration number 2005\024165\08. The association adheres to the strictest principles of internationally accepted corporate governance and transparency. Audited financial results are published annually in the mainstream media and available to the public on request. SABR first financials, as a Non Profit Organisation, will be available with the end of financial year 2006.
• We collect breastmilk from donor moms, who are meticulously screened. Our containers are airtight and cannot be tampered with after sealing; the packaging was approved specifically for us by Clover. The milk is labelled, pasteurised and frozen. Milk banking has been practiced worldwide for over a century, and we follow accepted best practices.
• Moms are visited at home, all they need to have is copy of their negative anti-natal HIV test and access to fridge and freezer. They also need to live in a stable home environment possibly in a committed relationship with no multiple partners.
• We fill out a ‘donor screening questionnaire’ (see attachment) and they are given ‘donor protocol’ that details the way in which we recommend they handle the expressing and storage of breastmilk.
• They are given a bag containing 30 bottles and caps. The bottles are the same Clover uses for the packaging of their flavoured milk, with a peal of tin cap.
• Moms express the milk into the bottles and at the end of the day seal the cap by applying the hot iron to the top of the cap resting on the bottle.
• The bottles are labelled, dated, and frozen,
• Bottles are collected once a month, or depending on the size of the mom’s freezer.
• Bottles containing breastmilk are thawed, and placed sealed into the pasteurizer. Breastmilk is pasteurised in the bottles. Pasteurisation is achieved as follows. Bottles are placed in a water bath jacket and sit at a temperature of 63 degrees centigrade for twenty minutes (Holder method). Pasteurisation kills all external micro agents potentially harmful to infants.
• Bottles are removed from pasteurizer and rinsed in a cold water bath to aid the cooling down process.
• Bottles are then place into a dedicated breastmilk chest freezer.
• Milk is then dispatched according to demand always transported directly to the destination stored in cooler boxes, we hope to eventually raise fund for a refrigerated vehicle.
• SABR is also in the process of staffing volunteers so we want you, to help us bring breast milk to babies safely

Happy pumping!