Breast milk bank, second in Canada, seeks donors
Ahuman milk bank, only the second one in existence in Canada, is now accepting donations in Calgary.
The groundbreaking new facility, called the Calgary Mothers’ Milk Bank, has only been running for a few weeks but has already been met with a phenomenal public response, said founder Jannette Festival.
A registered nurse and lactation specialist, Festival came up with the idea to create the not-for-profit bank after years of helping new mothers who had trouble breastfeeding.
“Just being in the hospital and seeing the mums who can’t breast feed and their babies are ill, it’s heartwrenching,” she said.
Breastfeeding is not just a lifestyle choice, Festival said.
Studies have shown that breast milk has numerous benefits for newborns, from healthier growth patterns to lower rates of sickness and allergies. Breastfed babies may even have higher IQS than their formulafed counterparts.
But premature babies whose mothers can’t produce enough milk benefit the most from breast milk, said Festival.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, one in 12 babies born in Canadian hospitals in 2009-10 were born prematurely.
“The thing with human milk is that it’s meant for human babies,” Festival said. “It’s very easy for them to digest and they can absorb it quite readily.”
Formula milk, on the other hand, is much more difficult to digest, especially for premature babies as their intestines are not fully developed, she said.
Premature babies that drink formula are at risk of developing an infection that can require surgery to remove a part of their intestine, she explained. That can result in short gut syndrome, which can cause lifelong digestive problems.
Although breast milk is touted for its benefits, the concept of mothers sharing their milk has not been without its share of controversies.
Human milk banks were once a common fixture in the Canadian health-care system. It wasn’t until the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s that they were rapidly shut down amid fears the disease could spread through breast milk. Only one bank remained open in Vancouver.
In recent years, a new trend emerged of mothers connecting through Facebook to share their breast milk.
In 2010, Health Canada issued a warning about the risks associated with the trend. The department cautioned new mothers that unprocessed breast milk may be contaminated with viruses such as HIV, or bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Traces of prescription and non-prescription drugs can also be transmitted through breast milk.
Sharing unprocessed breast milk is a practice Festival said she wouldn’t recommend either.
“Personally, I wouldn’t do it, and only because I see the lab tests come back,” she said. Even for mothers that have had their blood tested and are healthy, she said, “you can still pick up bacteria in your breast pump.”
Mothers who wish to donate are screened and must provide a blood sample. Their milk then goes through a thorough pasteurizing process to kill all bacteria. The milk is combined with other donations to create a sample with a balanced fat content.
The sample is then sent to a lab for testing. If safe, the milk goes on to hospitals where it is fed to premature babies and those with medical complications.
The Calgary Mothers Milk Bank is accredited by the Human Milk Association of North America, which sets safety standards. In the history of the association’s existence, Festival said there has not been one case of a baby getting sick from donated milk.
For more information on how to donate breast milk to the Calgary Mothers’ Milk Bank, visit their website at www.calgarymothersmilkbank.com