In late November, the Bordeaux-Marmande University Hospital lactarium reported that supplies of breast milk, vital for premature babies, were low due to the pandemic. The establishment called for the generosity of breastfeeding women and launched an appeal for donations.
- The lactarium of the CHU de Bordeaux-Marmande has launched a call for donations because the reserves of breast milk, irreplaceable for premature babies, are low due to the health crisis.
- To be able to give milk, breastfeeding women must not smoke, have been transfused, transplanted or on dialysis.
“Your milk is care for the most fragile babies. We need you”. Faced with low reserves of breast milk, the lactarium of the Bordeaux-Marmande University Hospital, in Gironde, launched a call for donations on social networks on November 25. “The lactarium appeals to the generosity of mothers who, thanks to the donation of their milk, can improve the lives of many babies”, can we read in a publication of the establishment on Twitter. As a reminder, breast milk collected by the lactarium is intended for premature babies, who cannot ingest food, and newborns with heart or digestive diseases hospitalized in the region.
According to Delphine Mireau, pediatrician and responsible for the lactariums of the CHU of Bordeaux and Marmande, the establishment collects up to 16,000 liters of breast milk, the best years. The lactarium collects milk donations from nursing mothers, pasteurizes it and packages it. “The milk is distributed to neonatology departments on medical prescription, and 100% reimbursed by social security. The price of a liter of lactarium milk has just been reassessed to €80 per liter for fresh or frozen milk and to €156 € per 100 g for freeze-dried milk”, explains the Ile-de-France regional lactarium on its website.
How to give breast milk?
Asked by 20 minutesDelphine Mireau indicated that “donors should have enough milk for their baby but it is not necessary to have a lot of milk.” During the first meeting with the lactarium team, breastfeeding women must complete a medical questionnaire and collect a prescription for a blood test. They also collect sterile bottles. To be able to donate milk, mothers must not have been transfused, transplanted or on dialysis. Another condition: not to smoke. “The mother collects her surplus milk each day and freezes it”, specifies the Ile-de-France regional milk bank. Breastfeeding women must give at least two 200 ml bottles.
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