Officials of a breast milk bank located in Irvinestown, County Fermanagh in Ireland, announced that it needs milk donations as it only has milk stock good for two weeks. The Western Trust Milk Bank, the only breast milk bank in Ireland, issued 1,500 liters of breast milk in 2015, and provided milk to over 900 babies last year.
The Ireland Milk Bank distributes its milk stocks to premature babies and those who are extremely vulnerable. It supplies all neonatal units in Ireland.
"For these tiny, tiny little ones - breast milk is liquid gold, it's liquid medicine," Western Trust Milk Bank manager Ann McCrea said. "It's human milk that gets their gut primed, it's human milk that fights any infections that they can get. It constantly changes to fight all the new infections that they're liable to have."
McCrea noted an increase in the number of twins, as well as triplets and quadruplets that got their milk supply from the milk bank, according to Fox News. She said these babies need more milk supply since their mothers could not produce enough breast milk for more than one baby.
Demand for the milk bank's breast milk has risen due to an increased awareness of the importance and benefits of breast milk, as per BBC. Neonatal units have also increased its requirement for specific milk donations since premature babies benefit from the nutritional and higher calorie content of the milk.
McCrea has called the milk shortage an exceptional one but hoped it is only a temporary crisis. The facility has started an aggressive donor recruitment campaign. They have also appealed to mothers who have stored breast milk in their freezers to bring them to the milk bank. All donations, however, have to undergo strict screening for possible diseases.
Breast milk banks have existed for years and the demand for their stocks have increased due to the World Health Organization's campaign on the importance of breast milk, according to Kidspot. The milk banks all over the world have prioritized premature babies because they greatly benefit from breast milk's immunity properties.
