Beyond bloodline: How donated milk is saving India’s most vulnerable newborns

Every new life deserves a nourishing start, a truth that holds especially for vulnerable newborns in India. When circumstances prevent a mother from breastfeeding her own child, a network of human milk banks steps in. These banks rely on the generosity of lactating mothers who donate their excess milk, which then reaches infants whose mothers cannot provide it.

Dr Poonam Sidana, director of neonatology and paediatrics at CK Birla Hospital in Delhi, explains how one mother's act of kindness can save another's newborn. The process, though simple in concept, carries deep personal significance. Families place their trust in a well-regulated system to deliver this life-saving nourishment. The story of this lifesaving milk begins in 1989 with Dr Armida Fernandes, who established India's first human milk bank at Sion Hospital in Mumbai.

Dr Satish Tiwari, founder and convener of the Human Milk Banking Association of India, has been advocating for milk banking across India since the mid-1990s. Babies needing donor human milk often arrive in neonatal intensive care units at extremely low weights, separated from their mothers due to various uncontrollable factors. For these fragile infants, human milk is more than just calories; it contains essential bioactive components that support their developing immune systems and reduce the risk of severe infections.

While a mother's own milk is the ideal choice, donor human milk provides a crucial transitional resource when breastfeeding is temporarily or permanently unavailable. Milk banks also support breastfeeding mothers, helping them establish or maintain milk supply, thereby enabling them to provide the best possible nourishment for their own babies.