“My baby was given birth surgically. For three
days, I couldn’t feed him. It was the milk bank that came to my rescue. Whosoever
donated that milk, it gave my son a new life,” said Parul, 25, who lives in
Dabok in Udaipur – well-known for the first-ever milk bank
in India.
Parul, after
giving birth to her baby, couldn’t feed her breast milk to the newborn. Now, to
help others, she donates her breast milk twice a day at the Divya Mother Milk
Bank set up in Panna Dhai Rajkiya Mahila Chikitsalaya in Udaipur. “I donate my
milk here so that other kids like my son may get milk,” said Parul.
When Gaon
Connection reporter was interviewing Parul, there were many mothers donating
breast milk in the bank. Women who have given birth two-ten days back can
donate their milk. The donated milk is given to infants at the Neonatal
intensive care unit of the hospital. It is also given to the infants who were
given birth through In vitro fertilization (IVF).
The milk bank helped the couple in providing breast milk for their newborns.
Couples
from nearby states come here
A couple
from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh came to this milk bank to take two bottles of
breast milk. 58-year-old Sevaram and his wife recently had their baby with the
help of IVF. Sevaram’s wife had trouble feeding breast milk to her baby. The
milk bank helped the couple in providing breast milk for their newborns.
Manorama
Dharani, the central manager in Divya Mother Milk bank, told Gaon Connection
that after delivery, a mother experiences many hormonal changes. Sooner or later,
all of them start giving milk, but it is challenging for an elderly mother and
women who become mothers through IVF to produce milk.
Pratibha,
who lives in Neemuch district in Madhya Pradesh, told Gaon Connection that she
recently gave birth to a child, but it was challenging for her to produce milk.
But then she started taking milk from the milk bank regularly.
“Many times,
we have to keep the newborn in the hospital, but we discharge the mother. We
provide milk from a milk bank to these mothers and also train them. They start giving
milk after a few days of training,” added Manorama.
The first
mother milk bank in Rajasthan was established by a non-profit organization
Mahesh Ashram — run by Ma Bhagwati Vikas Sansthan in 2012.
Watch the video here:
Yog Guru
Devendra Agarwal, the founder of Mahesh Ashram, said: “Our orphanage is as good
as any five-star hotel. The doctors are available 24X7. Despite that, many
infants would remain sick. When I asked doctors they said ‘we had all the
facilities, but not the mother’s milk. This is why they lack immunity and fall
sick.'”
Thereafter,
Devendra wrote to the government regarding setting up a mother’s milk bank in a
medical college in Udaipur. He researched the medical benefits of breast milk
and identified countries where these milk banks have been set up.
“Brazil has
the largest milk bank. We tried to understand how a woman is selected for
donating milk and how that can milk be stored. In our country, of 100 infants,
we can save the lives of 40 by feeding them mother’s milk. These kids have a tendency
to suffer from diarrhoea, pneumonia, jaundice and many other severe diseases,”
said Devendra.
Twenty-two
milk banks set up in Rajasthan makes it the leading state with the maximum
number of breast milk banks across the country, followed by Maharashtra and
Tamil Nadu. It forms the biggest mother milk chain in Asia.
“The government
has been helping in this scheme from the very beginning. In Lok Sabha, the budget
was also passed for milk banks in 2016. Budget for 10 milk banks in the first
year and seven milk banks in the following year were passed. Thereafter, the
centre after recognizing milk bank’s success worked on setting up five such
units in Rajasthan. Twenty-two milk banks are functioning in the state so far.
This is Asia’s first biggest milk chain,” said Devendra.
A newborn must always be given a mother’s milk soon after the delivery, say doctors.
Hundreds of
liters of breast milk is kept safe for many months here. Breast milk protects
newborns from disease attack and also prevents them from sudden early deaths.
Manorama
Darani, central manager, Divya Mother Milk bank, said: “Nearly 50-60 women come
here to donate milk every day. We explain the benefits of donating breast milk
to women who give birth here in this hospital. This donated milk not only saves
the lives of those newborns who lose their mothers but also helps providing
milk to mothers who are unable to produce milk.”
In
Rajasthan’s milk bank, precautions are taken into consideration when milk is
taken from mothers. Donors have to undergo many tests such as blood tests
before donating milk. Manorma Darani, said: “Medical and lifestyle histories of
women who come to donate milk is first checked. We check if they do not suffer
from any serious disease. If anything negative is reported, we don’t take her
milk.”
A mother’s
milk is called as an Amrita (elixir). A newborn must always be given a
mother’s milk soon after the delivery, say doctors. To promote breastfeeding
and improve the health of the newborns, World Breastfeeding Week — August 1-7
— is celebrated across the world.
Breastfeeding
benefits both the mother and the newborn, both mentally, and physically. “Mother’s
milk balances the body temperature of the newborn. It gives the newborn
essential nutrients. It develops immunity. Besides all these benefits to the
newborn, pumping out milk helps the mother remain fit and healthy. It also
curbs the added fat in the body,” added Manorama.
