It is not always possible for mothers to be present to breast feed their their newborn babies who have to remain behind in hospital, but breastfeeding women have an opportunity to help the newborns of other mothers with vital nutrition.
Nyasha Mhuru Rukure is one such parent-in-need. Her baby boy Liam was born last month at just 29 weeks old, and admitted for intensive care at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital.
For Rukure, the journey to the hospital is a hurdle that she often cannot overcome, meaning that Liam’s urgent need for breast milk must be met another way.
This is where the new human milk bank at the facility, established in partnership with Netcare, makes a difference in the life of Liam and other tiny patients like him, Verena Bolton, a neonatal nurse and national coordinator of the Netcare Ncelisa human milk banks, said.
“Breast milk donors who have been tested for safe donation are a lifeline for babies admitted in hospital neo-natal intensive care units, helping to ensure that they receive the specialised nutrition their bodies need – often in a fight for their life,” she said.
Qudsiyah Kassim, a registered dietician who manages newborn nutrition in the hospital’s neo-natal ICU added that breast milk was crucial in preventing infections and other complications.
She said many mothers struggled with the logistical and financial difficulties, which prevented them from seeing and feeding their little ones in hospital every day.
“While Netcare has historically supported public sector facilities with donated breast milk from the five national Netcare Ncelisa human milk banks, the establishment of an on-site milk bank is an important step for the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital,” Bolton said.
She explained that it allows them to recruit donors directly at the facility and manage the processing, in partnership with Netcare.
In the spirit of paying it forward, Ivy Nyarkoah is donating her breast milk to the human milk bank at the hospital while her baby girl, Bregail – who weighed just 820g at the time of her birth – is admitted there.
Nyarkoah, a first time mother, endured heartbreak shortly after giving birth to premature twins at 28 weeks – a boy and a girl. Her son did not survive, but despite the ongoing pain of her loss, she is making a difference in the lives of other babies by donating her breast milk.
She explained: “When my babies were born they desperately needed the right nutrition and while we waited for my milk to come in they received donor breast milk – a gift which I am really grateful for.”
Nyarkoah said this encouraged her to donate her breast milk and having the milk bank at the hospital meant that she was able to do it easily.
“Bregail is incredibly strong, she weighs 1.3kg and it seems like she may be coming home with us any day now. I plan to continue donating milk even after that and dropping it off every two weeks. After all, if others are willing to donate then why not me?”
Pretoria News