On March 8 at the Children's Hospital, Vilnius University The Donor Mother's Milk Bank is starting to operate in the Santariškių Clinics branch of the hospital.
This unit, located in the Neonatology Center of the Children's Hospital, will primarily provide breast milk to babies treated in the neonatal units, but its services will also be available to newborns treated in other healthcare facilities.
According to the World Health Organization, donor breast milk is the second best food after your own (biological) breast milk.
"Mother's milk is the most suitable food for the baby not only because of its chemical composition, but also because it contains very important components that promote the growth and development of various organs and systems, especially the brain, as well as the development of good intestinal bacteria that protect the newborn," says Dr. . A. Liubšys, founder of the Donor Mother's Milk Bank at the Children's Hospital. - Until now, not all the components of breast milk and their importance for the body of the newborn and the baby have been fully investigated, but it is already well known that the intelligence quotient (IQ) of children fed with breast milk is higher than those fed with cow's milk formulas, that when they reach older people are less likely to have food and other allergies, they are less likely to be obese or have other health problems."
So-called donor breast milk banks have existed for more than 100 years. According to the head of the Neonatology Center, Dr. A. Liubšys, these are such departments, usually located near hospitals, where mothers' milk is collected, tested, properly prepared, stored and then given to those newborns who cannot receive their own mother's milk.
The donor breast milk that the newborn will receive must be safe, so the preparation of such milk is a responsible and extraordinary process. The entire process of testing, preparing and storing milk requires special and expensive equipment and experienced medical personnel
First, the donor mother must be tested for possible infections such as HIV, hepatitis and others that can be transmitted through breast milk to the newborn. Only after the donor has been tested and determined that her milk is not dangerous can she start donating her own milk.
After a woman donates her milk, the composition of its food ingredients, the number of bacteria and their nature are examined, then the milk is heat-treated - pasteurized in order to destroy the bacteria and viruses in it, and then quickly frozen (down to minus 40 degrees) in order to preserve the most important food components and to guarantee milk sterility.
Breast milk prepared and frozen in this way can be stored for up to 6 months. It is known that during heat treatment and freezing, some important components of breast milk break down, but the chemical composition of milk is almost unchanged.
After examining breast milk and determining its composition (protein, fat, carbohydrate content), the composition of breast milk can be adjusted by enriching it with protein or other food components.
According to neonatologist dr. A. Liušios, it is known that enriched breast milk (supplemented with protein or other food ingredients) guarantees better growth of premature newborns, helping them to catch up with their peers. It helps the development of the newborn's intestine, the bacteria in it, and contains important components for the growth and development of the newborn's brain. Fortified mother's milk is often needed even for a sick, even full-term, newborn.
In addition, feeding a premature newborn with breast milk usually prevents some dangerous diseases, such as necrotizing enterocolitis: in premature newborns fed with breast milk, this dangerous and very dangerous disease occurs 6-10 times less often than in newborns fed with cow's milk formulas.
Breast milk donation is a voluntary and noble process, in many countries of the world donors are not paid for breast milk.
"All newborns treated in the neonatal units of the Children's Hospital will receive donor milk for free," says the founder of the Donor Mother's Milk Bank, Dr. A. Liubshys. - Mother's milk bank will be able to provide other services, such as examining the composition of mothers' milk, storing the collected milk while the newborn is in the hospital, etc. If we collect enough milk thanks to benevolent donors, after it has been tested and prepared, we will be able to offer it to women who are raising their babies at home and would like to feed them with donor breast milk. It is true that such a service should be paid for, since the examination of milk, its preparation and storage require considerable costs."
