Human milk banking is an absolute necessity to provide full benefits of breast milk to all babies. All mothers must be counseled and encouraged to breastfeed their babies as it is the greatest gift a mother can offer to her baby. A large number of preterm infants are not fortunate enough to get sufficient amounts of their mothers’ own milk due to many reasons. Human milk banks can play very important role in such conditions. Donated human milk by other eligible lactating mothers can fill this gap.

Greatest beneficiaries to such an arrangement will be preterm babies who are at risk of necrotizing enterocolitis and neonatal sepsis – diseases well known to be associated with high mortality and morbidity. It also helps them to reach full enteral feeds earlier than without human milk by strong trophic effects on gut. A meta-analysis of trials comparing formula feeds versus donor milk has shown significant protective effect of donor milk compared to formula in preventing necrotizing enterocolitis (RR: 2.46, 95% CI 1.19, 5.08) [1].

With better availability and improved quality of care of neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in India, more and more extremely preterm babies are surviving. A recent survey of NICUs in India concluded median (IQR) survival of 44% (18%, 60%) in those <28 weeks of gestation [2].

First human milk bank of Asia ‘Sneha’ was founded in 1989 in Mumbai, but there is still insufficient number of milk banks in India (around 22; most in private hospitals) [3]. Brazil which registers 10,000 births a day (almost one-fifth of India) has 219 human milk banks. The India Newborn Action Plan is committed to reducing preventable newborn deaths to single digits (<10 per 1,000 live births) by 2030. This is possible by successfully integrating human milk banking services with newborn care across India.

1. Chauhan M,　Henderson G,　McGuire W. Enteral feeding for very low birth weight infants: Reducing the risk of necrotising enterocolitis. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed.　2008;93:F162-6.

2. Sundaram V, Chirla D, Panigrahy N, et al. Current status of NICUs in India: A nationwide survey and the way forward. Indian J Pediatr. 2014;81:1198-204.