Donor breast milk is particularly valuable for nourishing hundreds of premature or low birth-weight babies born in Australia every year. If you are one of those mothers whose baby arrived sooner than expected, you’ll be facing lots of mixed emotions. Surprise, shock and sometimes guilt are all common feelings when a baby is born premature. On top of all the other issues they need to face, many mothers struggle to produce enough breast milk for their premature newborn in the early weeks, especially if their baby is in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Which babies qualify for donor breast milk?
For babies born less than 32 weeks, or with a very low birth weight, a paedatrician can prescribe donated breast milk. Human donor breast milk from a milk bank is a good alternative if a baby is not able to receive breast milk directly from their mother.
In Australia, donated breast milk is provided ‘on-demand’ by Lifeblood to more than 1000 babies every year. Milk is supplied to babies born before 32 weeks gestation or less than 1500 grams birth weight. These babies are at the highest risk of medical complications.
What’s so valuable about donated breast milk?
Donated breast milk is recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF as the best alternative for sick and preterm babies when their own mother’s milk is not available.[1] Donated breast milk, as with a mother’s own breast milk, contains antibodies to help protect children against infections and diseases. It also helps them to grow and their brains to develop. When compared with infant formula, human donor milk can reduce the risk of infections and severe gut disorder in low-birth-weight babies.[2]
If you or your baby’s medical team feel your little one may benefit from human donor milk, the NICU staff will speak with about your options. After gaining your consent, your baby’s paediatrician will order donor milk for your baby. It’s important you feel confident about your decision. Remember, you can change your mind at any time.
When new parents are first presented with information about donor milk, it’s not uncommon for them to have mixed feelings. So, let’s take a look at what’s involved.
Why choose donated breast milk?
Mother’s breast milk has long been considered best for a baby’s nutrition – it contains a gold mine of health-boosting molecules that helps protect babies from infections. And while exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for all babies in the first six months of their life, breast milk can be especially important for premature or sick newborns.
Among many other benefits, breast milk contains antibodies that are important for newborns’ immune systems. Babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy are especially susceptible to infections, particularly from necrotizing enterocolitis, a type of gut inflammation that can be fatal. For these vulnerable babies, survival rates improve when they are fed on human milk.
In summary, giving human donor milk to sick or premature babies helps to nourish them and protect them from disease.
How does milk donation process work??
Mothers who live in Brisbane, Sydney and Adelaide and who produce more breast milk than their babies need, can donate it to Lifeblood. After expressing, the milk is sent for distribution to hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) where it is fed to eligible babies. There is no payment to women who donate their breast milk.
To donate to Lifeblood, mothers must first undergo a careful screening process, similar to a blood donor. As with other body fluids, viruses and other germs can be transmitted via breast milk. This is why Lifeblood milk undertakes such complex and thorough screening processes.
Donors are asked about their health, lifestyle choices, and previous medical history. They also need to undergo a series of blood tests to screen for infectious diseases.
The precious human donor milk is collected by Lifeblood’s Milk Donor Coordinatorsfrom the donor’s home. Each donation is labelled with an express date and donor name to ensure each donation can be tracked and recorded. A donor questionnaire form is completed and accompanies every milk donation. This process helps to track all stages from collection of donor milk to its destination.
The milk is then packed into special containers called shippers, to keep the milk frozen. These shippers are delivered to state-of-the-art milk banks in Sydney and Brisbane.
Once it is received by Lifeblood, each donation of milk is then pasteurised. This is a heat treatment which destroys potentially harmful bacteria and viruses, before the milk is frozen at <-18ºC. The milk can be stored safely for up to 3 months at this temperature.
Pasteurised milk is available in two sizes, 30mls and 120mls, and will be delivered directly to the NICU once an order comes in. As with the initial collection and storage of the donor breast milk, it is transported to the NICU according to strict guidelines to ensure safety.
The benefits of pasteurised donor human milk for mothers and babies are tracked to ensure results are monitored, including the long-term impacts on their health and breastfeeding rates.
Is it safe for my baby to have donated human breast milk?
Lifeblood provides one of the safest blood supplies in the world to Australian hospitals, and the same expertise is applied to milk. This includes donor selection criteria, donor blood tests, hygiene standards during collection, and cold storage of the milk including during transport.
This process starts with the donor, with all donors undergoing a donor questionnaire form and a blood test to screen out any infectious disease. Our research team are always kept up to date with any emerging diseases internationally to ensure the milk’s safety and reduce any risks.
Breastmilk is tested and pasteurised to ensure it is free of any germs that could harm a baby, for example a virus. The milk is heated to a certain temperature, then rapidly cooled, and this process kills any bacteria or viruses.
Milk is also tested for bacteria when it arrives and any contaminated milk is thrown out. Before it’s sent out, it’s tested one more time for bacteria and safety.
For further information about donating or receiving human breast milk, visit: www.lifeblood.com.au/milk
[1] UNICEF UK Baby Friendly statement on commercial human milk
[2] Donor breast milk and milk banks | Pregnancy Birth and Baby (pregnancybirthbaby.org.au)
