Breast Milk Donations Save Lives

Last April, Ida Chan welcomed her son into the world. He was born a kilogramme lighter than expected, and Ida decided to breastfeed to help him bulk up.

Initially, she faced challenges. As her baby was hospitalised due to newborn jaundice, Ida missed the initial window to start breastfeeding. As she struggled to produce enough milk herself, she was also distressed to discover that her son had trouble digesting baby formula.

Fortunately, she managed to boost her milk supply through consistent pumping and was finally able to breastfeed exclusively three months later.

With her son now thriving, she knows she made the right decision. “Every drop of breast milk is not just about tiredness, pain and time,” she reflected. “It is all about a mother’s love to her baby.

Heartfelt giving

When Ida subsequently learned about some of her friends’ premature babies being severely underweight, it hit close to home. Accordingly, when she learned about the launch of the Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, she did not hesitate to sign up online right away.

After clearing a health screening, she began donating some of her breast milk, just as she had hoped.

Even though she has returned to working full-time and her own child is eating more solid foods, combined with three milk feeds a day, Ida still makes time to pump and reserve an extra bag to donate to other babies.

Altogether, it takes half an hour for her to pump the milk, store it, and clean up, but she is heartened that she is able to lend a hand to other families in need. “I think it is worth it because I am doing something good for the community.”

She added that she wants to set an example to her son. “In the future, I want to tell my baby ‘Your mother was helping others, and I want you to be a person like me.’”

Beyond expectations

Donating breast milk is not as simple as having good intentions, however. To qualify, donors need to be currently lactating, and have a baby under one year old. They also have to be in good health, pass a thorough assessment that includes a review of their medication history, and submit to undergoing blood tests every three months.

Since launching in January of this year, the Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank, located in the Hong Kong Children’s Hospital, has collected more than 300 litres of donated breast milk and recruited over 100 eligible donors.

Hong Kong Breast Milk Bank Director Dr Rosanna Wong said the numbers are beyond expectations.

This month, the initiative began its second phase, offering donor breast milk to all nine of the Hospital Authority’s Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

“The first priority of using this milk are those babies who are born under 32 weeks of gestation, or with birth weight less than 1.5kg,” Dr Wong explained. “Other babies who require the milk will be those who have severe diseases like congenital heart disease, or after a gastrointestinal operation.”

She added that if the bank could gather more donations, milk could be given to less premature babies, or even full-term babies with special needs.

All milk donated to the bank undergoes pasteurisation, microbiological testing and nutritional analysis, all under strict temperature controls, to ensure its safety and quality.

Ideal nourishment

Dr Wong described breast milk as the best nutrition for infants, particularly premature babies, as it contains unique properties such as immunoglobulins and immune factors that protect these babies from infections.

She emphasised that using breast milk for such babies reduces complications, including necrotising enterocolitis.

Calling on the community to rally behind the cause,” she added: “Each drop of donated breast milk is a gift of life for these vulnerable babies. We are looking forward to receiving more support from the mothers and the community.”