Watch above: The Saskatoon Health Region is buying breast milk from Calgary to help premature babies born at the Royal University Hospital. Meaghan Craig finds out why there is not a breast milk bank closer to home.
SASKATOON – It’s enhanced health care for the tiniest of patients. Human donor breast milk is now available in the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) to families with premature babies, that is until the mother can produce her own.
Regulated and temperature controlled, there is currently 60 containers of human breast milk being stored carefully at Royal University Hospital (RUH), ready for the hospital’s most vulnerable patients.
“We’re using it in premature babies where mom’s milk hasn’t quite come in so really helps babies digestive system mature and grow, is very easy to digest, helps babies immune system those would probably be the primary benefits, formula doesn’t do some of those things,” said Bette Boechler, director of children’s services with SHR.
Babies who are less than 32 weeks gestation can receive the milk for a two-week period until the mom’s breast milk comes in.
“It’s absolutely free to families because it’s considered a medication or like a blood transfusions, we would never charge anyone to have a blood transfusions.”
Ordered by a physician, the donor milk is then given to the baby with the parent’s consent.
“It was a recommendation that was brought forward by our care team which would include dietitians, social workers, our physicians and nurses and they recommended it when mom does have enough breast feed,” added Boechler.
READ MORE: ‘It felt like we were going rogue’: mom who let friend breastfeed her baby
Without a local breast milk bank, health officials say they received their first shipment of human breast milk from Calgary Mothers’ Milk Bank on April 13 and have placed several orders since.
“Milk banks, like blood banks, are by Health Canada with complex infrastructure, certain a lot of regulations, it’s pasteurize milk so a lot of rigger goes into the process,” remarked Boechler.
“I think it’s phenomenal, I really think it’s a great first step,”said Martha Neovard.
Neovard who is a local milk bank advocate and breastfeeding mother of three hopes the province will open it’s own milk bank to support babies and mothers in need.
READ MORE: Breast milk bank in talks for Saskatchewan
“We just had some difficulties during birth, she had poor Apgar, so poor birth scores and she ended up in the NICU for three days, it was really hard,” said Neovard regarding her youngest daughter, now 11 months old.
“I would have to say it was one of the, if not the hardest experience of my life.”
At any given time 32 babies can be in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at RUH, which often runs overcapacity. Fifteen to 20 per cent of all babies born on-site require the NICU and volumes continue to increase as birth rates go up.
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