Human milk bank coming

A plan to establish the country's first breast-milk bank is at an advanced stage and may see the milk reserve opening its doors as soon as January next year. Nursing mothers will soon be able to donate their excess milk to the breast milk reserve in an effort to save lives.Namibian Sun this week interviewed the two pioneers, paediatrician Professor Clarissa Pieper and long-time nurse Birgit Mayer, who shared their commitment to make this milk bank a reality. The two medical professionals have been working day and night for the past two years to make sure things fall into place in order to “save the babies”. The duo has to date received a pasteuriser from ErongoMed and is only awaiting a training team from France and government inspection before the wheels will start rolling on a full-time basis. According to Pieper, the donation of breast milk can boost the survival of premature babies significantly. “Ideally, the mother's milk is the best for her baby but although the donated milk may not be best, but it certainly is a better option compared with formula,” she said. To date, women able to donate milk have come to learn about the milk reserve through word of mouth. Mayer explained that interested mothers will be subject to medical screening including tests for HIV and hepatitis. “We know that the pasteuriser kills all the bacteria and viruses but we want to be extra careful,” she insisted. She added that once a mother is approved then it is expected of her to express at home and freeze the milk in storage bags for delivery to the bank. According to Pieper the demand for breast milk is phenomenal as the country is seeing a sharp increase of premature births. She said that in 2010 the country had 15 premature births every month while in 2017, the figures are around 150 premature births. “It is not only necessary for the baby's survival but it is cheaper for the government in particular. A premature baby born before the full development of the gastro-intestinal tract will need intravenous feeding which is unbelievably expensive and the antibiotics required, along with monitoring and equipment come at an extra cost,” said Pieper. At present most of the donated milk goes to state hospitals, where it is in high demand. Pieper emphasised that they have no intention to ever commercialise the venture and pointed out that breast milk will only be provided when a mother dies at birth or cannot lactate, or for premature babies weighting less than 1kg. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that low-birth-weight (LBW) infants should be fed breast milk. When a mother's own breast milk is not available, the alternatives are either expressed breast milk from a donor mother or formula. According to WHO studies, compared with formula, donor breast milk is associated with lower incidence of severe gut disorder and other infections during the initial hospital stay after birth. Interested mothers can contact Mayer or an assistance to the milk bank, Naomi Lottering, at the MediClinic hospital in Windhoek.JEMIMA BEUKES

Human milk bank coming

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-04

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Human milk bank coming

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Namibian Sun 2026-08-04

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