Call for moms to donate breast milk

TYGERBERG Hospital is appealing to breast-feeding women to extend a helping hand to struggling mothers of newborn babies and to consider donating their breast milk.

March 1-7 is Human Milk Banking Week and is dedicated to imploring eligible women to donate their breast milk.

Last year, paediatricians and nurses at the hospital were responsible for the handling of 8 065 newborn babies.

Babies weighing less than 1.5 kg at birth, babies of mothers whose breast milk is limited and premature twins and triplets of mothers who are unable to meet their infant’s nutritional requirements, all require donor breast milk. Breast milk is proven to be better suited over formula milk, as it improves the health of babies, aids in the recovery of sick babies, ensures good growth and development and protects against infections and health issues.

Judy Lombaard from Strand gave birth to twin boys on February 2.

Lombaard said: “It was a wonderful experience, but they were born too early at 31 weeks. I couldn’t breast-feed because my mammary glands weren’t ready yet. It was very stressful because I thought about my babies and what they were going to consume”

Eligibility to donate includes healthy breast-feeding women who are non-smokers, must undergo screening and be free of select medications and supplements preventing donating breast milk. Contact 021 938 4709/4723/4878 to make an appointment with the Tygerberg Hospital kangaroo mother care services.