SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
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PANJIM: Prasiddhi Gadgil from Sanquelim delivered premature twins one month ago. Being premature they were shifted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Goa Medical College (GMC) as they needed ventilator support.
For first few days, the babies were not being fed due to their illness. When, milk feeds were initiated, the mother was not lactating enough to feed both the twins. Then through the stimulation process at the milk bank in GMC she was able to express milk for her babies. She also started having surplus milk, which she could donate for other pre-term babies.
Like Prasiddhi Gadgil, 12,000 such mothers have given their milk since the Inception of the human milk bank at GMC in August 2017 to nearly 7,000 pre-term babies admitted in the NICU and saved their lives.
“I had pre-term twins and both needed equal amount of milk. My own milk was not sufficient. After the use of breast pumps for stimulation at the milk bank, I was able to express more milk. After initial hiccups my milk flow soon became normal and I started donating the excess milk after feeding my babies to the milk bank at GMC for other such premature infants here,” Gadgil said.
In fact initially, when she was not able to give the required quantity of milk for her babies, the shortfall was filled with the milk donated by other mothers who delivered their babies at GMC.
“Lactating mothers having excess milk can come to the milk bank at GMC and donate their milk because there are many babies who need mother’s milk. Many mothers weren’t able to give them milk and they get really worried. Donating milk doesn’t reduce the production of milk, rather it increases, nor does it alter our health or body shape,” she said.
Jyotsna Sahoo from Old Goa delivered a pre-mature baby on July 3 and was admitted at the GMC NICU. She came here three days after her baby was admitted here.
“Initially when I was not able to give milk, my baby received milk donated by other mothers. After I came here and my milk flow started becoming normal, I too felt encouraged to donate my milk for other babies just like my baby received from others. It is a wonderful and lifesaving facility here in Goa,” Jyotsna Sahoo said.
All lactating mothers who have excess milk must come and donate the milk here and save lives of scores of babies admitted at the NICU instead of wasting it, she said.
Anjum Sindi from Mapusa delivered a pre-mature baby one month ago. She was not aware of the milk bank at GMC. She was told about it by the nurses and support staff at North Goa District Hospital at Mapusa.
“They told me that there’s a milk bank here and my milk could be taken out with help of a pump. My child is admitted at the GMC in ICU for the last one month. I’m now able to give milk to my baby and for others also. Instead of letting my excess milk go to waste, I decided to donate it better for other babies andsave their lives. We need to do our bit for the humanity,” she said.
Milk bank in-charge nurse Velankani Fernandes said that the milk bank at GMC stores mother’s milk, collected from healthy donors and whose babies are thriving well. These mothers can donate milk up to 10 months after delivery.
“Before collecting milk all the donors are medically screened. They should be free from illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis B. Mothers who received blood transfusion within one year, during pregnancy or after delivery cannot donate milk,” Fernandes said.
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, GMC, Dr Kavita Sreekumar said, “By starting the human milk bank, mortality rate of premature babies has come down. I appeal to all the postnatal mothers to visit the milk bank and donate your most precious milk,” Sreekumar said.
