During the first half of the current year, the Milk Bank of the Women’s Hospital was able to supply breast milk to 468 babies in critical condition, with the help of 90 donor mothers. However, the need for this food is still far from being satisfied.
According to Hellen Treminio, director of the laboratory of this medical center, it takes at least 40 moms to donate this food. “The milk is fetched from the homes of these mothers, we do a study to prevent risks, laboratory tests, and we give them special and sterile containers. We also teach them the conditions in which they must extract their milk. It is done once a week”, Treminio commented.
Before being supplied to the neonatal intensive care units of the Calderón Guardia, Nacional de Niños and México hospitals, the collected milk undergoes various examinations, such as sensory tests to determine its quality, tests to determine the amount of fat and if it has the presence of alcohol. Later, it is pasteurized and frozen classified according to the type, either mature, transitional, or colostrum.
Making the difference between life and death
“We call on mothers who have been blessed with milk production so that they can join the group of donors and benefit children who need it to get ahead, breast milk can make the difference between life and death”, stated the director of the laboratory.
Among the Bank’s projects are: having new equipment, incorporating private companies into a sponsorship program to encourage mothers to continue donating and developing a milk network, so that they can have different collection sites.
