In Italy, only a third of the mother's milk needed by premature babies is donated. A figure that demonstrates that there is still a lot of work to do. However, looking back, the result is still more than satisfactory, as explained by the president of the Italian Association of Donated Human Milk Banks (Aiblud – www.aiblud.com), Dr. Guido Moro.
What is the situation in Italy regarding the donation of breast milk?
«Italy can boast 38 Milk Banks. We are the first in Europe, which can only be a source of pride. And, together with France, we are the only country in which all activity is regulated by specific laws: since the Association was born, in 2005, unambiguous guidelines have been drawn up, confirmed by the Ministry of Health, so that the whole process of the Banks is regulated and controlled for ever greater efficiency and safety».
How much breast milk is collected along the peninsula?
«From the last survey surveyed at national level in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, dated 2017, it turned out that in the previous year we managed to collect 10,000 liters of breast milk. This corresponds to a third of the milk that premature babies welcomed in neonatology centers would need. We are already satisfied with the result, but we don't stop: our commitment is aimed at making the general public and operators aware of the importance of donation. I am thinking of the great disparity between northern and southern Italy: Lombardy and Tuscany are at the top of the ranking for the number of Milk Banks, but there are regions such as Liguria and Sardinia where there isn't even one. And if Liguria can be supplied from Piedmont, the Sardinian island is totally isolated».
And then we need to inform future mothers...
«Exactly: we are working with the Ministry for an awareness campaign among clinics, consultants, and prenatal courses. Everyone must know how important a few drops of mother's milk can be, representing life, or the way to recovery, for children born prematurely (for a newborn weighing less than 1500 grams, 20 centiliters of milk a day are sufficient, ed) ».
Can you explain this concept better?
«Human milk is a unique and inimitable food due to the peculiarity of the nutrients, the enzymatic and hormonal components, the anti-infectious and growth factors. Scientific studies show that this milk is able to protect newborns from a series of pathologies which, if they occur in a being weighing less than 1500 grams, can prove lethal; as in the case of necrotizing enterocolitis. Donating your milk means contributing to life, and also to the economic savings of an entire health system: we have calculated that the cost to open, start up and manage the Milk Banks is far lower than the costs to be incurred for hospitalization and treatment of sick newborns.
How does the milk donation take place?
«After a woman has declared herself available and has undergone simple medical tests, she can independently bring her breast milk to the Bank, or use the home collection service. We are aiming to implement this service: for a new mother, who has just been discharged from hospital, who lives in Milan (for example) and who may already have another child, having to take the subway to carry her bottle to the Milk Bank is not it is exactly a comfortable path. It is no coincidence, therefore, that 60% of the collection takes place through home health personnel. A procedure which, among other things, strengthens compliance with the health and hygiene standards required by the donation. But there's more: in Milan – and now also in Turin – the Human Milk Link (www.human-milklink.org) collection system was born: a midwife goes to her mother's house, assists her where problems, he advises her on milk collection, brings new bottles if they run out. Then seal the bottle and deliver it to the Bank. Mum-friendly."
What is the situation in Europe?
«The formalization of a European bank, the Europe Milk Bank Association, started with us in 2010. Nations like Great Britain, France, Norway, Sweden and Finland already had their own collection system, but, as you know, unity is strength. This has helped us support the opening of new Banks, such as those in Russia. We have 250 Milk Banks on the European continent».
The procedure
According to the guidelines for the establishment and organization of a donated human milk bank drawn up by the Italian Society of Neonatology (Sin), all donated milk must be pasteurized before use. Pasteurization, which consists in heating the milk in a bain-marie (generally at 62.5°C for 30 minutes), destroys most pathogenic germs and all viruses, so that the precious food can be used without risk; at the same time, it sufficiently respects its particular biological and nutritional characteristics. The pasteurized milk is frozen and stored in sealed and labeled bottles and is supplied where and when required.
Consult the complete list of Banks on the website of the
Italian Association of Donated Human Milk Banks
Taken from Born Mom | by Laura Sciolla
