Mum donates 38 litres of breast milk to Birmingham Women’s Hospital to help babies in need

A new mum from Birmingham has generously donated dozens of litres of breast milk to babies in need at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.

Laura, from Rednal, is a mum to six-month-old Theodore and has donated more than 38 litres to the Women’s Hospital Milk Bank. She was inspired to do so after a friend told her how the service helped her when her baby was in intensive care.

Laura said: “I wouldn’t really have known about it if it hadn’t been for my friend. She gave birth prematurely and her little one was in intensive care, in need of milk to support her recovery.

“After they were able to get their baby home and strong enough, my friend began donating her breast milk to help other mums who had been in her position.

“I felt really inspired by that – it helps so many people, it’s hard for so many mums who have sick babies who need the extra help to go home with their families.”

Laura’s baby - Theodore - was born at 6lbs 11oz, but he had to be brought back to the hospital to be treated for jaundice - a common condition found in newborn babies causing the skin and whites of their eyes to turn yellow.

Baby Theo received light therapy Bili Cocoons for four days before being able to go home. It was then that Laura began to approach the Milk Bank services at the hospital to see if she would be able to donate her milk to sick babies across the UK.

Laura said: “I would say to new mums that they should definitely do it if they get the chance. It’s a simple procedure, all you have to do is get in touch with the milk bank and fill out a general health questionnaire and then before you know it, you’ll be sent bottles to fill, and you can begin your milk bank journey.

“It’s hard at the start, after childbirth you might feel exhausted, it may take a while for your milk to come through but persevere – it’s so worth being able to help families who are struggling across intensive care units.

“It feels good to be able to give something back and help out the midwives at the Women’s Hospital by donating milk to support them in helping to get sick babies back home to their families.”

Dr Gemma Holder, Consultant Neonatologist at our Women’s Hospital, said: “Donations are crucial - our donations play a huge part in providing the necessary care for our unwell babies in our neonatal unit, as breast milk is vital at protecting our extremely sick babies.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to all of those generous women that donate their breast milk to help protect our tiny babies. We know that many hospitals are in need of human milk for their neonatal services which is why we supply milk to surrounding hospitals throughout the UK.”