Today, World Breast Donation Day is celebrated, an initiative launched to protect and promote breastfeeding, and raise awareness in society about the importance of donating human milk.
In Spain there are 15 breast milk banks where donor mothers can carry their milk. There they will collect it, process it, store it and offer it with all health guarantees to babies who need it, mainly premature babies, who are the biggest beneficiaries of this immense gift.
Today we wanted know the testimony of three donor mothers, who have explained to us in the first person why they decided to donate milk and what this wonderful altruistic action has meant for them.
"It's exciting to know the number of babies you help with your donated milk" (Almudena)
Almudena is Multilacta's lactation consultant and mother of three children. She became a donor after the birth of her second daughter, and as she herself states, the experience has been very rewarding and unforgettable. He was donating at the 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid, and thus explains how the whole process took place.
- Why did you decide to become a milk donor?
"When my second daughter was born four years ago, I decided to become a donor of breast milk, because I had heard about it before and wanted to help babies who needed it. At that time, in Madrid there was only one milk bank at the Hospital October 12, so I went to be informed of the process ".
In Babies and more World Breast Donation Day: every drop counts to help babies who need it most- How did you organize to donate?
"I started pumping milk to donate when I joined my job. I always stopped in the middle of the day to pump milk, and froze it in the freezer we have at work. I extracted two daily bottles of milk, and every 15 days I delivered them to the hospital. "
- How long were you a donor?
"I was donating until my daughter turned two and I repeated the experience when my third child was born. This time I was pleasantly surprised to see that the subject was more widespread, and many more mothers had heard about it ".
- Did you have any questions during the process?
"One of my initial doubts was whether my mature milk would serve premature babies, because the composition of milk when you breastfeed a two-year-old baby is very different from that of the milk a newborn or premature baby receives. But in the hospital they explained to me in detail how they treated the donated milk to make it perfect and suitable for the babies admitted ".
"Another question that also arose was whether the dairy-free diet I had to be able to breastfeed my baby APLV was incompatible with donation. But this also did not pose a problem when donating."
- What did the experience mean to you?
"After finishing the first donation, the hospital sent me a letter thanking me and telling me the number of babies he had helped with the liters of donated milk. That really moved me, and when I talk about it, I still get excited, because it is wonderful to be able to help the babies and mothers who need it most. "
"I think of mothers who are having a bad time with their premature or admitted babies, and the difficulties they are having with their breastfeeding because of their emotional situation, and I am excited that my milk has been able to help them.""For premature babies, every drop counts" (Merche)
Merche decided to become a donor when she learned how breast milk benefits premature babies. She is the mother of two children, and her donation began after the birth of her second child. This explains how the whole process took place.
- Why did you decide to become a milk donor?
"After the birth of my second son, there were two simultaneous events: a friend of mine had just become a donor of milk and another had just had a premature baby. From that moment I began to be aware that breast milk is a medicine for premature babies, so I decided to contribute by becoming a donor. "
In Babies and more "Being a nursing mother, being healthy and wanting to help", essential to be a donor of breast milk: we talk with a"I went to La Paz Hospital to inform me, and there they performed a blood test and they gave me all the material that I was going to need: breast pump, bags to sterilize the breast pump parts in the microwave, portable refrigerator with ice accumulators to transport the milk, mask and cap, sterilized and individually packaged bottles, and stickers with my donor data to stick on the bottle when I went to deliver".
"15 days after the analysis, they called me on the phone to confirm that I could start donating."
- How did you organize to donate?
"I became a donor when my child turned six months old and we start with complementary feeding. My approach was to get milk routinely and sometimes it was for my baby and sometimes to donate ".
"I drank the milk in the morning, after showering with hot water, which favored the extraction of milk and reduced the time. Then I froze it, and when I gathered several jars I took it to the hospital. The amount of milk that was extracted at the beginning It was little, until I was getting used with the breast pump and I ended up extracting 110 ml each time. "
- How long were you a donor?
"I was donating milk for four months, but during that period I had some interruptions due to my or my baby's health problems. "
- Did you have any questions during the process?
"The only question I had is that I have toxoplasmosis antibodies and I was afraid I could not donate. But they told me that nothing was wrong, and that it did not affect milk."
- What did the experience mean to you?
"When a baby arrives in the world prematurely, it must mean very big emotional shock for mom. In addition to having had a premature delivery, in addition, the separation of your baby is added, and all this contributes to the fact that the initial lactation may not be easy in those cases ".
"The hospital told me that I had donated a total of three liters of milk that had contributed to the development and recovery of eight premature babies. It is not a high amount, but every drop counts""Donating milk was a way to heal my wounds" (Veronica)
Veronica is the mother of three children, a lactation consultant and an active member of the Cantabrian breastfeeding association, La buena leche. His story as a donor is especially emotional, and he wanted to share it with us.
- Why did you decide to become a milk donor?
"When I became a donor of milk I was moved by two fundamental facts. On the one hand, I knew that the milk I donated would go directly to the neonatal unit of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (Santander), where my daughter was admitted during her first two weeks of life"
"Donating milk to the babies who were there was a way to thank all the effort, professionalism and affection that the staff gave us during our admission. In addition, I felt that this gesture would help me heal the duel I experienced during the first days of life of my daughter, in which I could not be with her and things were not as I had dreamed. "
"But also, from the association we had been demanding time for the start-up of a breast milk bank. So, when we finally got it, it was important for me to contribute to its operation by becoming a donor. "
In Babies and more, donate 236 liters of breast milk and write a nice letter for the baby who receives it- How did you organize to donate?
"In the hospital they behaved phenomenally, and they informed me in detail about the process of collection and treatment of milk. Every time I drank milk, I refrigerated it and waited for several boats to call the messenger; approximately every 15 days ".
"This was a great help, because I live 75 km from the hospital and otherwise it would have been much more complicated. Approximately I donated between two and two and a half liters every 15 days".
- How long were you a donor?
"The milk bank was launched when my daughter was six months old, and they only allowed me to donate until the year was up. So I was a donor of milk for six months".
- Did you have any questions during the process?
"Personally I had no doubts, but as an advisor I know that many mothers fear that if they donate milk they will take it away from their children. This is not the case, and it is important for mothers to understand that the more stimulation (by sucking the baby on the one hand, and the breast pump on the other), the greater the production ".
- What did the experience mean to you?
