The George Hospital’s milk bank has run out of milk and is in urgent need of donors. According to sister Agulhas, donor milk is used to feed premature babies and babies with a low birth rate of under 1kg. These babies are at a higher risk of developing life-threatening infections and can benefit greatly from taking donated breast milk exclusively. Babies who have access to breast milk have been shown to require shorter hospital stays after birth. HIV exposed babies or new-borns whose mothers cannot breastfeed themselves, but wish for their babies to drink breastmilk instead of formula, are also nursed on donated breastmilk. The hospital has an almost constant amount of 24 babies, 8 in the neonatal ward and 1 in the high care ward, who are reliant on donated breastmilk.
Any healthy, lactating and breastfeeding mother, who is able to express enough extra milk, is welcome to contact the hospital in order to become a donor. Containers will be made available by the hospital and donors can choose to express milk at the hospital or at home. Donors will have to complete the necessary paperwork and consent to a rapid HIV test at the hospital. For more information on how to become a donor, please contact the hospital’s neonatal unit on 044 802 477.
