The donation of breast milk helps 122 premature babies survive in the Basque Country | Present

Bilbao

Sara Granado, a Sevillian living in Donostia and the mother of Teo and Ianire, was clear that she wanted to help other babies who did not have access to breast milk, either because their mothers did not have enough or because it was not adequate. So she decided to donate to the milk bank. Thanks to her high production, Sara was up to the fourth month of pregnancy of her child Teo of her donating from her. “I even bought a chest to be able to keep everything because it produced a lot,” she explained in To live that son of the Euskadi days.

During 2021, 122 babies survived thanks to the donation of 80 female donors. In total, 209 liters were distributed, a very important amount considering that each of these premature babies need very little to feed themselves, as explained by María Villaverde, the head of the Bank. Approximately 5.25% of newborns need to be admitted to the infant ICU and, of these, 0.6% need donated human milk, the very premature ones who do not have their own mother’s milk and always under medical prescription.

new mothers

Since the beginning of the Bank in October 2017 -there are 16 throughout the State-, 376 women have donated milk. It is an altruistic donation. The women, most of them first-timers and between the ages of 25 and 40, freeze the milk at home and once a week or fortnight they take it to the hospital in their city where it is analyzed and stored.

Anais Cruz, from Vitoria, after suffering some complications when breastfeeding her baby, decided to become a donor. She is one of the 14 donors who today help premature babies born in Euskadi. The Milk Bank is now working to raise awareness as part of the grieving process for those women who have lost their baby.

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