BC Breast milk supply low for second time in 8 months | 24CA News
BC Women’s Hospital’s milk financial institution reserves are operating low once more.
The Provincial Milk Bank supplies live-saving donations to B.C. infants, lots of whom are untimely.
Last yr, the milk financial institution provided roughly 130,000 ounces to feed almost 4,500 kids.
Now, there’s just a few weeks of provide left, in response to Frances Jones, the milk financial institution’s coordinator.
“Right now, demand is very high, so we have about three weeks’ worth in our freezers,” Jones advised Global News.
Jones provides, breast milk is important for untimely infants as a consequence of their underdeveloped digestive methods.
“A particular disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). It’s a disease of the bowel. So, premature infants have immature guts, which poses higher risk, and if they’re not on human milk, it increases the risk significantly.”
The provincial milk financial institution provides 19 hospitals throughout the province, together with all 14 Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU).
“Providing human milk, ideally mother’s own, is best. But understandably, that’s not always possible. So, pasteurized donor milk is the next best thing to protect the human gut,” Jones defined.
Currently, the milk financial institution has 330 donors however Jones says these numbers have to double with a view to sustain with the requests they’ve been receiving.
Anyone eager about donating can discover extra data on the BC Women’s Hospital web site.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
