New mommies needed!
We often hear about blood banks and how important giving blood is; there are billboards everywhere with the now-iconic red, single-sleeved shirt campaign. Yet, there’s another bank that needs donations: the mother’s milk bank. Though the regions milk supply manages to meet demand, Héma-quebec, which handles the bank, is always trying to recruit new breastfeeding mamas.
Amélie Boivin, project coordinator for Héma-quebec, explained how the milk bank is essential to helping babies who are born prematurely.
“The bank is in place to help babies who are born at 32 weeks or less. When that happens, the mom typically can’t give milk. Of course, it depends on the woman,” she said. “But usually they’re not producing milk yet, and since the baby is too young to latch, they can’t stimulate milk production. And breast milk is really critical for premies.”
Though baby formula is an option for women who can’t or otherwise decide not to breastfeed, premies, or premature babies, are very fragile and prone to infections and illness. According to Boivin, breast milk holds the best combination of nutrients and antibodies they need to get bigger and stronger quickly, without irritating their still-developing system.
“When a baby is born that young, their digestive system isn’t fully done developing. Because of this, their intestine lining is prone to irritation and inflammation. Their intestines also can’t absorb nutrients properly yet.”
Boivin said that due to their small size and intestinal fragility, premies are prone to developing necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC. According to her, it is the biggest complication that doctors have to deal with.
NEC occurs when tissue in the small or large intestine is injured or inflamed. This can lead to death of intestinal tissue and, in rare cases, a hole (perforation) in the intestinal wall. When this happens, the intestine can no longer hold waste. So, bacteria and other waste passes through the intestine and into the baby's bloodstream or abdominal cavity.
Cow’s milk, from which formula is derived, like other forms of dairy, is difficult for the digestive tract to process. For that reason, babies, especially premies, who are fed formula have a higher risk of developing NEC.
“Breast milk avoids the risk, and, due to the high level of antibodies in the milk, it reduces chances of overall infection,” said Boivin. “It also helps with weight gain and reduces the need for hospitalization. Premies are vulnerable, and though there is special premie formula on the market, it’s not the best. You can’t beat mother’s milk.”
Sherbrooke’s mother’s milk bank is quite recent, having only opened in November of 2017. The program as a whole, in Quebec, is new. The first bank was opened in 2014 in Montreal, because of its proximity to the breastmilk processing plant.
“There’s a whole process that the milk must go through before it’s sent to hospitals. We want a final product that has the highest possible nutritional value for the babies, and to do that we actually pool all of the donations together,” explained Boivin. “It’s not like blood, where donation is restricted by typing. All milk is a ‘universal donor’, so to speak. We also pasteurize the milk to eliminate any bacteria and test it to make sure it’s safe. Then everything is rebottled and shipped.”
Of course, before any woman is allowed to donate, she must go through a selection process. Like with a blood donation, there is a blood test performed to rule out any transmittable viruses or diseases. Héma-quebec has a few criteria that women must fall into before being considered eligible donors.
“Donations are done at home, by the mothers themselves. We provide them with bottles, so there’s no cost on their part,” explained Boivin. “When they’ve pumped their milk, they just have to put the bottles in the freezer and drop them off at a donation center whenever is convenient for them. In the case of Sherbrooke, that’s Plasmavie.”
“First we ask that our donors live at most an hour away from donation centers,” she said. “Just because the milk has to be frozen, and we don’t want the milk to be frozen, then thawed on the way to the drop-off center, then frozen again. We want to maximize the quality of the milk.”
The rest of the process is simple: women can register as donors either over the phone or online, where they fill out a questionnaire that determines whether they are eligible donors or not. If they qualify, they are given instructions on what to do or not do when being a donor. For example, women who are planning on giving breast milk cannot be smokers.
Boivin pointed out that most of the time, women pass the eligibility test without a problem, so long as they are healthy and have a surplus of milk to give. The issue, however, is that the bank needs milk from new moms, ones that are breastfeeding infants from 0 to 12 months old.
“It’s within that time frame that the milk is the most nutritious and corresponds to what premature babies need,” she explained. “Breast milk changes depending on the needs of the child, so once we’re past that year mark, the milk isn’t good for what we need it for.”
This is a challenge for the bank because it means they constantly have to be recruiting new mothers to be donors. Unlike blood or plasma, where donors typically come back regularly, with breast milk, donors are often a one-timeonly deal.
“We have a beautiful response in the Sherbrooke region, but it’s a huge obstacle to always be hunting for new moms who have a milk surplus. It means we always have to be campaigning, getting the word out there, being visible in the community,” said Boivin, adding that not every mom has enough milk to feed both her baby and be a donor.
“We’re really lucky because we manage to keep our supply at our goal, which is 4 000 litres of milk a year. But that corresponds to 700 milk donors provincewide to meet hospital demands, which can be hard to find! Here in Sherbrooke we need at least 80 a year,” concluded Boivin. “Some women have a lot of milk to give, they can fill 30 bottles for one donation. Some moms can only give one. That’s normal, everyone is different. The important part is to give. Every bottle counts!”
To find out more about donor qualifications or to apply to be a donor, visit www.hema-quebec.qc.ca/lait-maternel/ or call the 1-888-666-4362.