SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 8 Feb (EUROPA PRESS) –
The milk bank at Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital (HUNSC) has received donations from 41 women in the first six months of operation.
Consequently, with an average of 2.7 litres per mother, a total of 110 litres of milk has been collected, benefiting 58 recipient babies.
The generosity of the donors surpasses the initial forecast of catering to 50 infants annually, providing these resources to premature babies and vulnerable neonates who require it by medical prescription due to the incapacity of being breastfed by their own mother, as reported by the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands.
The entire process is conducted in accordance with the safety standards established by the Spanish and European associations of human milk banks.
The donation procedure undergoes various stages before reaching the patient in need, ensuring control not only of the milk itself but also of the donors.
Initially, an interview is conducted, along with a health survey and the signing of informed consent, as well as the provision of documentation about the process and the performance of a blood test.
If deemed suitable, the donors are provided with an initial kit containing all the necessary materials to begin extracting at home, highlighted by the Department.
Approximately every 15 days, women are scheduled via telephone to monitor their health status and address any queries. Additionally, a collection date is arranged based on the location of the island.
Afterwards, refrigerators are equipped with replacement materials for the mothers and cold accumulators to preserve the donated milk.
Upon arrival at the health centre, the freezing condition is verified, and the information is entered into the computer system for rigorous control.
To ensure a stock of pasteurized milk, requests are made according to the needs of hospitalized patients, and up to three batches per donor are thawed and prepared in a sterile laminar flow cabinet one day before use.
Furthermore, milk bank professionals take samples to conduct nutritional and microbiological analyses, followed by pasteurization, labelling, and preservation in freezers.
Requests are made by a neonatologist, through the Paediatrics service, who informs the parents or guardians of the receiving patient.
Upon obtaining informed consent, the milk is thawed and prepared in accordance with the medical prescription, later distributed to the receiving unit or patient, ensuring milk traceability at all times.
Advantages of Breastfeeding
Nutrition is one of the fundamental aspects of care for hospitalised newborns, particularly premature ones, as highlighted by the Ministry.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the best food for these children is their mother’s milk, and if the mother is unable to provide milk, donated breast milk from healthy women is recommended as the best alternative.
The available scientific evidence indicates that feeding hospitalised children with breast milk is superior to feeding them with formulas derived from cow’s milk. Delaying feeding until this resource is available leads to a longer hospital stay, increasing the risk of infections.
