Why is donor milk so important? Human breast milk is vital to the health and well-being of all babies, but for babies born too early, too small or critically ill, donated human milk has the potential to make the difference between a long hospital stay with many complications, or a quicker recovery and the ability to go home sooner. By donating your extra breast milk, you provide critically ill infants with an improved chance for survival.
While a mother’s breast milk can provide a large percentage of her baby’s needs, the premature infant needs more protein and calories than are naturally occurring in mother’s milk. Through consumption of concentrated human milk protein, in the form of a 100% Human Milk Fortifier, critically ill babies are able to get the nutrition they need to grow while being fed exclusively human milk.
Milkin’ Mamas partners with a scientifically driven company, committed to improving premature infant nutrition, using human milk to change the standard of care in the NICU. Breast milk is vital to a baby’s growth and it is important to distinguish that not all milk is the same. Donor milk is used to produce a 100% Human Milk Fortifier made from human breast milk, as opposed to cow’s milk. Donated milk is formulated to meet the specific needs of premature and critically ill infants in the NICU, as prescribed by neonatologists.
Breast milk provides important immunologically active agents for premature and critically ill infants. Breast milk offers these tiny babies vital nourishment as well as immunoglobulins that directly improve the immune status of the baby. In fact, specific antibodies against respiratory and intestinal bacteria and viruses, which are known to increase a baby’s resistance to infection, are found in human breast milk. Various studies have shown the importance of breast milk for infants, noting that it:
- Includes appropriate amounts of carbohydrates, protein and fat for proper nourishment.
- Provides digestive enzymes, minerals, vitamins and hormones that all infants require and that also maintain pH levels in the baby’s gastrointestinal tract.
- Contains valuable antibodies that can help the baby resist infections and serious diseases and conditions, such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), sepsis, and bacterial meningitis.
