UP's first human milk bank opens in Agra

UP will soon have its first human milk bank in Agra This lactarium will collect screen process pasteurise and distribute human milk to needy mothersThis was announced by Ashok Goyal founder president of Help Agra an NGO providing affordable medicare to the citizensGoyal said the milk will be donated by lactating mothers Former president of the FOGSI Dr Narendra Malhotra said that human milk provided optimum nutritional support to newborns Its particularly useful at least for the first six months after birthDeepak Dave from Maharashtra who successfully runs a network of such banks said that the collected mother milk would be safe and usable for a year kept at minus 20 degrees in the freezer For immunity and growth of the child mothers milk is the best supportA large number of mothers are not able to provide milk for their newborns for various reasons This puts the child at a risk and stunts their growth Goyal saidThe bank will become operational in three months Mothers would be able to feed their children and collect supplies in hygienic pouchesBefore storing the collected milk more than a dozen investigations would be carried out to ensure safety from bacteria that could be transferred by the donor The stored pumped breast milk will require transfer to bags and then frozen for distribution This bank will be a great relief for mothers who are afflicted with some chronic diseases and are not able to lactateGlobally the demand for human milk has shown a rising trend In some societies adults suffering chronic health issues are also provided mothers milk that is high in calories and easily digestible The International Milk Banking Initiative founded in 2005 lists more than 30 countries that offer this facilityThe largest number of beneficiaries of this initiative would be premature babies with gastro disorders and metabolic issues The mothers would have a choice either go for formula milk or natural mothers milk stored at the bank Goyal saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever