Have you ever thought about donating breast milk?

“A small gesture can fuel a big dream: donating breast milk!”. Find out more about the national campaign to encourage breastmilk donation

Breastfeeding goes beyond nutrition and has lifelong benefits. Breast milk strengthens the immune system against infectious diseases and also acts on the emotional and psychological development between mother and child, as well as reducing the mortality of children under 5 from preventable causes by up to 13%. For premature or low birth weight babies, breastfeeding is even more important, as it helps increase the baby’s chances of recovery.

But, for various reasons, not all women can breastfeed their children. Donating breast milk to a human milk bank is therefore a life-saving gesture, which gives premature or underweight infants hospitalized in neonatal units the possibility of receiving the benefits of this food.

Countryside

On May 19, National Human Milk Donation Day, the Ministry of Health launched a campaign to shed light on the issue. With the slogan “A small gesture can fuel a big dream: donate breast milk!”, the action aims to encourage breastfeeding women to donate their milk to breast milk banks or breast milk collection points. The ministry’s goal for 2023 is to increase donations to meet at least 60% of the demand for human milk in the country, equal to a total collection of 245,700 liters. In 2022, 197,000 women donated breast milk and, with a total volume collected of 234,000 litres, 222,000 premature or underweight babies hospitalized in neonatal units benefited.

Action is part of a successful trajectory. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Brazil has the largest and most complex network of human milk banks in the world, being an international reference for the use of strategies that combine low cost and high quality and technology. There are 227 human milk banks and 240 collection points distributed in all Brazilian states. The Brazilian Network of Human Milk Banks (rBLH-BR) is an initiative of the Ministry of Health, through a partnership with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), and is currently part of the National Policy for Integral Attention to Child Health (PNAISC) .

Can I donate?

Every breastfeeding woman is a potential human milk donor. To contribute, you must be in good health and not use any medications that interfere with breastfeeding. She also completes the assistance at the time of donation and, at the time of enrollment in the human milk bank, the woman already receives instructions on how to express her own milk. In addition to the collection, processing and distribution of breast milk, banks and health centers offer shelter and assistance to women, children and families in breastfeeding.

Graziella Valente, breast milk donor, tells how her experience was after giving birth to her daughter Maitê in Brasilia (DF): “As soon as I gave birth, my daughter went to intensive care, and with that I milked her and the milk bank. milk from the hospital itself. So, the donation started right there. As soon as we were discharged, she was already breastfeeding, but I had a lot of milk, so I took an average of 100ml a day for the donation”. She points out that the process is very simple. “The team left the empty bins at my house and took the full ones. This collection was done once a week.”

It is important to say that any amount can help. One 200ml pot can feed up to ten premature or low birth weight infants admitted to neonatal units per day. “Mother’s milk is life! And the campaign wants to demonstrate it and raise people’s awareness of solidarity with such a simple gesture that can make a difference in thousands of homes”, concludes Graziella.

To find the nearest human milk bank, just call 136 or access the website of the Brazilian network of human milk banks.

Source: Terra

Ben

Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.