Hyderabad: Human milk bank launched at KIMS Cuddles

Hyderabad: In keeping pace with its avowed quest to be in the forefront of making available all kinds of ultra-modern medical facilities and offering all treatments and services, KIMS Hospitals recently entered another rare group in Telangana State. Commemorating the 'World Prematurity Day' on November 17, the hospital launched an exclusive 'Human Milk Bank' at KIMS Cuddles in Kondapur. 

It was launched on a grand note by the Hon'ble Governor of Telangana State, Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan. She appreciated the efforts of the hospital, whose initiative will save over 400 preterm (prematurely born) babies. Dr Bhaskar Rao, Managing Director, KIMS Hospitals was present.

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The need for a Human Milk Bank has emerged because of the huge gap in the demand and supply of mother's milk, given that many cannot breastfeed their preterm babies because of varying medical reasons. The milk bank is like a godsend opportunity as it addresses this lacuna to a significant extent.

The statistics are rather grim even at the national level. According to official data, premature births have been increasing every year. India reports 24 million births each year, of which 3.5 million are preterm births. Nearly 0.76 million babies die in the immediate new-born period. India shares the highest global burden of neonatal births and mortality.

According to medical experts, early and exclusive breast milk, Mothers Own Milk (MoM)) is the single most important intervention, which can reduce mortality and morbidities in such vulnerable neonates. It contains all the vital nutrients and growth factors that a baby needs for optimal physical and mental growth.

Human milk is a source of anti-infective factors that are proven to reduce infections, feed intolerance and necrotising Enterocolitis, which are the major causes of mortality in preterm neonates.

In hindsight, despite being the elixir of life in its own way, mother's milk is not available to many preterm and low-weight infants due to a number of factors.

The good sign is that when mother's milk is inaccessible, especially for a premature baby, donor human milk is the next best option, observed Dr. Aparna C, Clinical Director, Neonatology and Pediatrics, KIMS Cuddles, while speaking on the occasion.

Realising that there was an insufficient number of human milk banks in Hyderabad, KIMS Cuddles decided to shoulder the societal responsibility of a unique human milk bank of its own. Human milk banks were used by hospitals to attend to the needs of babies born in their respective hospitals. If any surplus is found, the same is routed through a nodal agency.

"KIMS Cuddles has created such a bank to achieve one hundred percent human milk feeding in preterm very low-weight neonates. As part of our regimen, our trained staff screens the donor mothers, counsel them appropriately, screen them for infections, collect milk, pasteurize, screen and distribute milk for babies in dire need," she said.

"Our neonatal unit at KIMS Cuddles caters to nearly 150 newborn babies each month, including intramural and extramural births. Our estimates are that up to 20-25% of these admissions are preterm neonates less than 34 weeks gestation. These are the babies who can only be fed mother's milk. As most of the sick newborns and premature babies do not get MoM in the first week of life, human milk banks are a boon for them," she said.

A good development has been the willingness of several eligible mothers to donate milk voluntarily. The banks can store milk for up to one year. Whenever the need arises, the milk is withdrawn and used after bringing it to a liquid state.

KIMS Cuddles expects that on an average at least five babies will be requiring human milk from its bank on any given day.

According to Dr Aparna C, the positive results from making use of human milk banks is that chances of infection are lowered considerably, NEC is lower by 65% and mortality rate is also reduced by almost half.

Noble Gesture of Milk Donors

Healthy lactating mothers can volunteer and the hospital will neither force anyone to come forward as donors nor will those who give will be promised anything in exchange.

A touching moment of the celebrations was the felicitation of three healthy mothers who volunteered to donate on umpteen occasions. The average percentage of donations by these three mothers, Ms. Madhuri, Ms. Roopa and Ms. Anusha, is around 15 litres, which is a stupendous contribution.

"There are many mothers who have been approaching us stating that they produce more milk than what their babies require. They are duly counseled and motivated about how their help can save many preterm babies. We don't put any pressure on them to donate. It has to been a voluntary decision," Dr Aparna asserts.

KIMS Cuddles salutes all these magnanimous mothers for their humane gesture.

Also Read:Telangana plans to set up more human milk banks in hospitals