| WHY
WE NEED A MOTHERS MILK BANK...
Mothers
Milk Bank Pty Ltd is a charity set up by Marea Ryan, in order to
provide pasteurised donor mothers’ milk to infants where mother’s
own milk human is not available. Every baby has the right to the
optimal nutrition.
It’s
simple
Human Milk for human babies |
The
Mothers Milk Bank is a community of Health Professionals and volunteers
who have donated their time, energy and enthusiasm to this project.
All are united in the belief that this service will play a vital
role in ensuring the health of Australia’s children.
In
conjunction with a similar initiative being established in Perth,
the Mothers Milk Bank is committed to seeing a network of donor
milk banks operational around Australia within ten years. Mothers
Milk Bank aims see milk banks established to provide human milk
for all babies up to the age of at least six months.
This will lay the foundation of the future health of Australian
children by ensuring optimal physical and neurological development
for all infants. Donor human milk banks around the world have demonstrated
that donor milk saves lives, and prevents a wide range of illnesses
from developing.
In
the absence of the infant’s own mother’s milk, donor
milk offers the benefits of human milk for the infant including:
• Optimal nutrition
• Easy digestibility
• Immunological protection against many organisms and diseases
• Infection-fighting components such as immunoglobulins
Human
milk also contains growth factors that can:
• Protect immature tissue
• Promote maturation, particularly in the gastrointestinal
tract
• Promote healing of tissue damaged by infection
Common reasons for prescribing donor milk:
• Prematurity
• Allergies
• Feeding/formula intolerance
• Immunologic deficiencies
• Post operative nutrition
• Treatment of some infectious diseases
• Treatment of inborn errors of metabolism
In relation to the financial implications from not having donor
human milk available, the impact on the Australian health care dollar
is huge when considering greater hazards for the infant who is not
exclusively receiving human milk for the first 6 months of life.
Our health system continues to pay for the ongoing costs of individuals
whose health, has been compromised at the very beginning of their
lives.
Private
donations and sponsored facilities and equipment have allowed us
to begin this vital service. Your support is required for the vital
service to continue. We receive no government funding.
There is no cost to the mother’s, the milk is a gift.
You will be making a difference by supporting the mothers’
milk bank and help us provide pasteurized donor human milk to our
Australian babies in need.
Donations to:-
mothersmilkbank Community Enterprise Foundation
BSB: 633-000 Account: 130098981
Bank: Bendigo Bank
You
may claim any contribution as a tax deduction.
www.bendigobank.com.au
Our babies thank you for your support
Marea Ryan
Director |