A gift of life

I had a premature delivery in the seventh month I lactated for two days and then it stopped We were advised to start using donor milk for my daughter I was tense about whether I would ever be able to feed my baby I felt sad too and wondered if other mothers can why cant I I was also scared for the babys health But after 10 days my babys weight increased and I realised that its fine I was counselled too and that helped me start lactating says 20yearold Govandi resident Nilofer Shaikh Munawar who delivered at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College and Hospital Sion LTMGH Like Shaikh 30 to 50 per cent of babies at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU and 10 to 20 per cent fullterm babies in India are in need of donor milkDr Aisha KhanThis milk comes from the human milk bank or Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre CLMC at the hospital which was Asias first centre started in 1989 by Dr Armida Fernandez The centre manages to collect about 100l monthly via patients at the hospital outside donors and with the help of PATH an organisation that works to scale human milk banking This just about meets their inhouse demandThere are only seven such centres in the cityNaturally the need for lactating mothers to donate is high Mothers milk is best for the baby it is complete food with all necessary nutrients When unavailable people resort to cows milk A calf weighs 10 times more than a newborn the protein content in human milk is 091 to 11gm per 100ml and 33gm in cows milk Thats extra load on the babys kidney especially for the first six months says Dr Jayashree Mondkar dean professor and head department of neonatology and director of CLMCMondkar adds that human milk has antiinfective properties improves immunity and IQ and makes one psychologically stable Many mothers feed for four to six months exclusively and then move to solid food But breast milk is important for at least two years which is also not the limit So the need for donor milk is higher says Dr Prashant Gangal senior paediatrician training coordinator Breastfeeding Promotion Network of IndiaNilofer Shaikh MunawarLast year the government released comprehensive lactation management centre guidelines which promote breastfeeding milk banking and kangaroo mother care In focus group discussions we discovered that mothers didnt harbour as much stigma as the influencers that is the motherinlaw and fathers Common concerns are that its unsafe as the mother isnt known and what if shes a nonvegetarian But with counselling we manage to change this perception says Dr Aisha Khan project officer PATH Now Shaikh has started lactating and is also a donor at the hospital Koi bhi bacche ki jaan bachegi toh khushi toh hogi dil meinDonor speakThree months ago Marine Drive resident Prachi Samani gave birth to Meher Samani a PR professional had no issues with lactation and was introduced to human milk banking by Dr RK Anand Samani is a regular donor at LTMGH which facilitates easy donation by home pickupsIt helped that her inlaws were supportive and her husband researched to make sure that the institute of their choice is genuine Motherhood is a blessing Not everyone is lucky enough in terms of breast feeding and people then rely on formula milk I am not against it but why cant we be more open about accepting milk from banks for the childs nourishment I even offered my milk to a friend but she didnt accept it as she felt her family wouldnt be supportivePrachi SamaniBreast feeding helps with postpartum blues and losing weight Dont doubt yourself and keep trying is what I would say to every new mother Your child is not going to be that tiny or dependent on you forever And for mothers who cant breast feed please be open to seek help from milk banks There is absolutely no shame in receiving or donating I wish pregnancy and breastfeeding is talked about more openly Breast feeding can be tedious but its a beautiful journey I am glad I can do my bit by donating and creating awareness says the young motherMyths about donationThe milk is unsafe Hospitals check health reports of mothers before accepting their milk After pasteurisation a culture test determines whether the milk is safe for consumptionMy baby will go hungry Mothers need to pump out excess milk when engorged the more milk you express more the production Pumping sends a message to the brain that the baby needs more milk hence it doesnt stop Counselling and lactation consultants can help you continue the processCall to donateAt Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital Sion WestCall 24076381At Cama And Albless Hospital FortCall 22620390At KEM Hospital ParelCall 24107000At Rajiv Gandhi Medical College and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital KalwaCall 25304139At Nowrosjee Wadia Hospital ParelCall 24146964At BYL Nair Hospital Mumbai CentralCall 23027000At JJ Hospital MazagaonCall 23735555Process of pasteurisationGraphicUday Mohite1 Store your milk in a freezer till you collect enough to donate Transported in an ice box its stored at 20degC at CLMC2 Pasteurisation involves heating the milk at 625degC and maintaining that for 30 minutes3 Next the machine rapidly cools the milk to 25degC in 10 minutes Its further brought down to 4degC4 The culture from each container or the batch is sent for microbiological testing5 While awaiting the results the milk is stored in a freezer at 20degC This milk can be stored for up to six months The milk declared safe can then be consumedCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates