MOTHER’S milk is in such high demand across Australian hospitals one Gold Coast bank has had to turn back dozens of sick and premature babies.
The Mother’s Milk Bank is in desperate need of more donor mums who can supply breast milk they do not need to keep supply going for 20 babies currently on the books.
With the Gold Coast University Hospital’s new neonatal intensive care unit now using their services, director Marea Ryan said they were struggling to keep up with demand.
Thanks to the generosity of donors like Murwillumbah mother-of-four Jennie Cupitt and Mermaid Waters first time mum Hollie Fraser, the bank is able to feed babies at the Coast’s private hospitals and as far as Canberra.
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The milk bank, run by volunteers and funded by donations, provides breast milk to premature babies and to women unable to feed their children due to illness and other circumstances.
Ms Ryan said with one sick baby costing the health care system up to $750,000 to care for, the bank had helped save an estimated $50 million in its eight years of operation.
A donated bottle of breast milk costs a hospital $10 while IV fluids are as much as $300.
About 12 per cent of all babies are born premature, with six per cent born more than 12 weeks early, and many stay in hospital as long as 20 weeks.
Donor milk helps reduce a baby’s length of stay, improves survival rates and reduces the stress placed on families.
“We’ve got a huge waiting list of people we can’t provide for at the moment because demand is so high,” Ms Ryan said.
“We’re running full steam with one pasteuriser so we need to expand to keep up.”
Ms Ryan said the bank, which has finally become a recognised Queensland Health charity, needed to raise $3 million in order to expand but needed more donors in the meantime.
Ms Fraser donated countless litres leftover from feeding son Harley Wilson, now six months.
“I had lots of trouble breast feeding so it was easier to express milk and bottle feed but because I was so worried about expressing, I over expressed and had a truckload,” Ms Fraser said.
“I had 12L in the freezer at one point. It’s a really good feeling to know you’re doing something good with what would have gone to waste.”
To find out more about donating visit mothersmilkbank.com.au