WHO and UNICEF recommend that children initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life – meaning no other foods or liquids are provided, including water. In the case there’s no direct breastfeeding, human milk bank is the best alternative option for feeding newborns. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNAHuman milk is processed, stored and distributed under a strictly regulated process to ensure donated milk is safe, has high quality and meets the needs of at-risk children. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNAHuman milk is processed, stored and distributed under a strictly regulated process to ensure donated milk is safe, has high quality and meets the needs of at-risk children. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNAWHO and UNICEF recommend that children initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life – meaning no other foods or liquids are provided, including water. In the case there’s no direct breastfeeding, human milk bank is the best alternative option for feeding newborns. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNAWHO and UNICEF recommend that children initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth and be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life – meaning no other foods or liquids are provided, including water. In the case there’s no direct breastfeeding, human milk bank is the best alternative option for feeding newborns. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNADuring the screening process, breast milk samples will be taken for lab test. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNAHuman milk is processed, stored and distributed under a strictly regulated process to ensure donated milk is safe, has high quality and meets the needs of at-risk children. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNAA healthcare worker supports a newborn drinking breast milk from the human milk bank at Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNA
The first human milk bank in Vietnam yields positive results
After 7 years in operation, the first human milk bank in Vietnam at the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children in the central city of Da Nang has yielded exciting results. The bank has called on 618 mothers to donate 12,744 litres of human milk, providing an irreplaceable source of nutrition for 35,570 at-risk babies. The hospital followed strict regulations for collecting breast milk, such as in the selection and screening of milk donors, milking hygiene and temperature-controlled milk processing, as well as pasteurisation, bacteriological examination and temperature-controlled transport. The human milk bank represents more than just a location where breast milk is donated and received to save the lives of vulnerable children; it also aims to raise awareness on the importance of breastfeeding and promote the same in society. Photo: Minh Quyet - VNA
