The Western Well being and Social Care Belief (Western Belief) Human Milk Financial institution positioned on the South West Acute Hospital in Enniskillen is making an pressing attraction for brand new mums to donate breast milk as shares are getting low, notably after the busy Christmas and New Yr interval.
Elizabeth (Liz) Bailie, coordinator of the Western Belief Milk Financial institution, mentioned: “We’re encouraging new moms to assist with the rise in demand for breast milk and to make sure we’ve an satisfactory provide for neonatal items throughout Northern Eire and the Republic of Eire. With our devoted donors’, our peer assist moms and the assistance of latest donors we can meet the rise demand for breast milk.
“We’re very proud that the South West Acute Hospital has been profitable in reaching the distinguished UNICEF UK Child Pleasant accreditation and our devoted midwives and well being guests proceed to attempt to assist new mums to breast feed. Final 12 months we achieved the UNICEF UK Gold Commonplace Award which acknowledges our dedication to breastfeeding. We’re very grateful to our mums who assist us to unfold the ‘Milk Financial institution’ phrase round and we discover that that is one of the simplest ways of conserving it outstanding in new mum’s minds.”
“Since 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021 the Human Milk Financial institution has processed roughly 2142 litres of donor expressed milk and we’ve offered roughly 1427 litres of breast milk to 27 neonatal items in hospitals throughout Eire serving to 558 infants, together with 92 units of twins,11 units of triplets and one set of quads! Lots of the infants who’ve acquired donated breast milk required intestine surgical procedure or coronary heart surgical procedure.”
The Milk Financial institution Staff expressed their gratitude to the Voluntary Charity Blood Bikers: “The distribution of the milk wouldn’t be attainable with out transport assist from Blood Bikers charities who help with the transportation of milk to neonatal items all through Eire and we’re extremely grateful for his or her ongoing assist to the Human Milk Financial institution.”
Elizabeth explains the significance of human milk for untimely infants saying: “Human milk incorporates substances which assist the infants combat viruses and micro organism. It fat that helps develop the immature mind, eye and nervous system. Most essential for the untimely child it helps to guard the immature intestine from Necrotizing Entero Colitis (NEC), a life threatening situation. Breast milk additionally helps shield infants from pneumonia and septicaemia.”
Elizabeth provides: “We’re very grateful to all of the mums who donate milk to the unit and there’s at all times the necessity to recruit new donors. Donors are required to be registered by the point child reaches three months previous and as soon as registered the Milk Financial institution will settle for milk donations up till the sixth month. All milk donations acquired should be in sterile milk bottles when expressed and donated into the service inside three months of expression. Donors should be non-smokers, not had a blood transfusion, aren’t on medicine that cross into breastmilk and never had a tattoo, physique piercing or acupuncture (until you may present a letter out of your Acupuncturist concerning single use sterile needles), or have visited Malarial International locations within the final 12 months and are in good well being.”
If you need to search out out extra concerning the Milk Financial institution and changing into a donor please contact the Milk Financial institution on Tel: (028) 6862 8333 or electronic mail [email protected]
New mums are additionally inspired to achieve assist from their midwife, household well being customer, toddler feeding lead specialist to assist them via their toddler feeding journey. It’s hoped that we’ll be recommencing Breastfeeding Assist Teams throughout the Western Belief space COVID-19 tips allowing.”
A video displaying a brief tour of the ability, how the entire course of works within the Human Milk Financial institution and the way donated breast milk is distributed to assist infants throughout Northern Eire and the Republic of Eire has lately been produced and is out there on the Western Belief’s Web site www.westerntrust.hscni.web and Western Belief Youtube channel.
