The history of breast milk banks is over 100 years. Most of the milk banks were closed because of HIV in the 80's. But more and more milk banks are re-opening and new ones are being established as the composition and superiority of breast milk are recognized again. The Human Milk Banking Association of North America and European Milk Bank Association have been set up and they have established and revised the standards and guidelines of breast milk banks. There is no doubt of the clinical effects of donor human milk on preterm infants worldwide. The Committee on Nutrition of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition recommended that the preterm infants should use donor human milk when their own mothers' milk is not enough. The first breast milk bank was set up in China in 2013, and its clinical and social significance is worthy of further study.
Female ; Humans ; Milk Banks ; Milk, Human

Congresses as Topic ; Humans ; Milk Banks ; Milk, Human ; North America

Humans ; Milk, Human ; Singapore ; Milk Banks ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: A human milk bank collects, processes, eliminates, and stores breast milk from donors and provides breast milk to those in need. The authors hereby present the experiences and the objective lessons obtained through operating a nationwide human milk bank over a period of 2 years. METHODS: The characteristics of the donors and the recipients and the amounts of breast milk donated, processed, and received at the East-West Neo Medical Center Human Milk Bank were investigated from August 2007 to August 2009. RESULTS: The donor pool consisted of 131 first-time donors and 39 repeat donors who made 341 and 127 donations, respectively. Seventy-nine percent of the donors resided in the Seoul-Kyunggi area, and 60% of the donors were in their 30s. Most information and motivation came from the Internet (66%) or television (14%). A total of 2,736 L of breast milk was collected, and 1,979 L were processed. The cumulative number of recipients was 160 preterm or full-term infants and 21 adults, each group receiving the breast milk 337 and 41 times, respectively. In total, infants received 1,663 L and adults received 179 L. CONCLUSION: Through the present study, the role and importance of a human milk bank in collecting, pasteurizing, and storing surplus breast milk in through sanitary, medically proven methods and providing this breast milk to recipients could be appreciated and reevaluated. The authors believe that a national support system is necessary to expand this practice to a nationwide scale.
Adult ; Breast Feeding ; Humans ; Infant ; Internet ; Korea ; Milk Banks ; Milk, Human ; Motivation ; Porphyrins ; Television ; Tissue Donors

Human breast milk is the most natural and ideal food for the baby. Breastfeeding provides benefits for maternal and child health, child immune function, growth and development, and society. The operation of human milk bank and the use of donor human milk undoubtedly provides a new way of nutrition support for the preterm infants without their own mother's milk and a new kind of treatment for other diseases. Present research on the composition of breast milk focuses on the variety and quantity of proteins, bioactive substances, probiotics and cell population.Future research may focus on the bioactive substances, the mechanism of regulation and effect of cell population, the application of probiotics and the clinical application of donor human milk.
Breast Feeding ; Female ; Humans ; Milk Banks ; Milk, Human ; chemistry ; cytology ; Probiotics ; pharmacology

Human milk banks are a solution for mothers who cannot supply their own breast milk to their sick or hospitalized infants; premature infants, in particular, are unable to receive a full volume of breast milk for numerous reasons. As of December 2015, there was only one milk bank in a university hospital in Korea. We reviewed the basic characteristics of donors and recipients, and the amounts and contamination of breast milk donated at the Human Milk Bank in Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong in Korea from 2008 to 2015. The donor pool consisted of 463 first-time donors and 452 repeat donors who made 1,724 donations. A total of 10,820 L of breast milk was collected, and 9,541.6 L were processed. Detectable bacteria grew in 12.6% after pasteurization and 52.5% had cytomegalovirus DNA before pasteurization in donated milk. There were 836 infant and 25 adult recipients; among new infant recipients, 48.5% were preterm; the groups received 8,009 and 165.7 L of donor milk, respectively. There was an increase in the percentage of preterm infants among new infant recipients in 2015 (93.1%) compared to 2008 (8.5%). Based on the number of premature infants in Korea, the number of potential recipients is not likely to diminish anytime soon, despite efforts to improve the breastfeeding rate. Sustainability and quality improvement of the milk bank need long-term financial support by health authorities and a nationwide network similar to blood banking will further contribute to the progress of milk banking.
Adult ; Bacteria ; Blood Banks ; Breast Feeding ; Cytomegalovirus ; DNA ; Financial Support ; Humans* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Korea ; Milk ; Milk Banks ; Milk, Human* ; Mothers ; Pasteurization ; Quality Improvement ; Tissue Donors

Breast Feeding ; Congresses as Topic ; Europe ; Food Handling ; methods ; Humans ; International Cooperation ; Milk Banks ; organization & administration ; Milk, Human ; Pediatrics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the parents' compliance in non-hospital settings during the operation of expressed breast milk bank.

METHODSIn September 2014, a questionnaire survey was carried out to investigate the parents' willingness about feeding the inpatient neonates with maternal expressed breast milk, to evaluate the effectiveness of the breast milk feeding supporting system, and to monitor the compliance in non-hospital settings during the delivery of maternal expressed breast milk. Improvements in education were made according to the results. A second survey was done in September 2015.

RESULTSA total of 340 questionnaires were sent out, and 338 usable questionnaires were returned. According to the time when the questionnaires were sent out, they were divided into two groups: 2014 group (n=229) and 2015 group (n=109). The age of most mothers was 20-30 years in the 2014 group and 30-40 years in the 2015 group. Most mothers delivered at the West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University in both groups, but the 2015 group had a significantly higher proportion than the 2014 group (74.3% vs 61.6%; P<0.05). Guidance was given to mothers in the presence of insufficient breast milk production in both groups, but the 2015 group had a significantly higher proportion than the 2014 group (91.7% vs 79.9%; P<0.05). Both groups had good family compliance in the collection, storage, and transport of breast milk. There were no significant differences in their compliance with washing hands, sterilizing instruments, and using a clean special refrigerator between the two groups. The expressed breast milk was transported strictly according to the procedure in both groups, but the 2015 group had a significantly higher proportion than the 2014 group (100% vs 87.1%; P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBefore and after improvements in the health education, most parents have good compliance in the collection, storage, and transport of breast milk.