– It is extremely small. We have so little that we actually have to prioritize who gets and who doesn’t. So there are actually some who don’t get it, who would like to have it, says Rikke Reitan. She is a nurse at the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim. In the breast milk bank at the hospital, they only have one container left of breast milk for premature babies. The milk storage must be able to feed all the children who are born prematurely until the mother has enough milk to cover the need herself. They don’t always have enough for that. – It is quite serious. After all, we see breast milk as almost equal to medicine. It is so important for these babies to get the right and best nutrition, says Reitan. Intensive care nurse Rikke Reitan says the breast milk shortage in Norwegian hospitals is serious. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news Problem throughout the country There is also not much milk left for the older children. – We want all children’s first meal to be breast milk and not substitute, she says. Hospitals all over the country lack breast milk and donors of it. – It is the same all over Norway. We lack donors and we lack milk, in general. We are seeing a decline and that is very unfortunate, says Reitan. She hopes more people will sign up as donors. – It requires a bit, but it must certainly be manageable. Then there is no minimum amount you need to give. You can give exactly what you want yourself, she says. There are several containers left for the slightly larger babies born at the hospital, but there is still not enough to cover the need. Photo: Jøte Toftaker / news Giving milk for the second time Emilie Rye from Trondheim gave birth to her second child six weeks ago and has just given her first bag of breast milk this round. – It makes me happy that I can contribute something good and help, she says. She can give milk until the child is 12 months old. – I am doing it because we would have come to accept that offer ourselves if we had needed it. Mother of two Emilie Rye from Trondheim is donating breast milk for the second time. Photo: Privat When she breastfed her first child, she donated 6.5 liters of milk to the breast milk bank at St. Olav’s hospital. – There is not that much work to do with it. I usually have one free teat at a time, which is full of milk. Then, in a way, it’s just a matter of filling up a little extra, which you can then pass on instead of it being thrown away. – Don’t be afraid to accept donor milk People who want to become a breast milk donor cannot use snuff, smoke or alcohol. They must be healthy and not on regular medication. They must take a blood test to rule out viruses that can be dangerous for premature babies. In addition, all the milk delivered is tested to ensure that there is no bacterial growth in it. There are also hygiene requirements for the pumping process. – If you agree to give donor milk to your baby, you should know that there is good work behind it, as you have such strict hygiene measures and that there are quite strict requirements to be approved as a donor, says Rye . – You shouldn’t be afraid to accept donor milk, she says. Emilie Rye holds up three bags of breast milk to be donated to the mother’s milk bank in Trondheim. Photo: Privat Particularly important for premature babies Gro Nylander is a specialist in obstetrics, women’s diseases and medical genetics, and has written several books on pregnancy and maternity. She thinks it’s a shame that the hospitals have too little breast milk in the bank. – I think it’s really sad and partly tragic, because we know so much about the good effect it has on the very smallest or sick who stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, says Nylander. She points to several reasons why breast milk is gold for newborns, and especially for premature babies. Gro Nylander has worked as an obstetrician and has written several books about pregnancy, birth and children. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB scanpix The body of a child who is born prematurely is usually fully formed and just needs to be allowed to grow, but an important organ needs more time: the brain. – If you are born two months early, or maybe more, you need to develop your brain as you would have done if you were still in the womb, and that is where breast milk is almost magical. That’s because half of the calorie content in breast milk is fat, says Nylander. The fat in the milk is important for brain development after premature birth, because the brain largely consists of this. Transferring the mother’s antibodies Nylander also explains that children usually do not have bacteria in them when they are born, and that they have a weak immune system. However, many of the mother’s antibodies are transferred directly to the child through breast milk. It not only provides better protection against diseases she has had in adulthood, such as corona or urinary tract infection, but also for diseases she had when she was a child. Health benefits of breast milk and breastfeeding Breast milk provides your child with: nutrients for growth and development infection protection components that are beneficial for the development of the immune system hormones and enzymes that affect physiological maturation closeness and skin contact with the mother For the mother, breastfeeding helps: the uterus contracts more quickly after birth menstruation returns later, it may be easier to return to normal weight Can also help prevent postpartum depression, if breastfeeding works well In the long term, breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of serious diseases such as: breast cancer ovarian cancer diabetes type 2 cardiovascular diseases Source : Helsenorge – Then the factory cells are ready and produce, for example, exactly the antibody that she made when she was ten years old and perhaps had an infectious disease, she says. – So the baby gets through the milk a real cocktail of what it needs most to protect itself from illness. It is truly magical. According to Nylander, women who, for one reason or another, cannot give their child their own breast milk, do not have to be very upset about this. – It is difficult. We are delivering two messages at the same time. Mother’s milk is the best for babies, especially for premature babies, but at the same time we know that most of the differences are small. We get nice children without and, in Norway, so they can take comfort in that, she says.
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Great shortage of breast milk at Norwegian hospitals – St. Olav’s hospital in Trondheim calls for donors – news Trøndelag
