Doctors push for "milk banks" to help premature babies

Provinces are being urged to consider opening milk banks, as doctors say that pasteurized breast milk donated by nursing moms could help save the lives of premature babies whose mothers aren’t producing enough milk, Postmedia News reports. Breast milk offers many benefits to newborn babies, like improved development to lower rates of infection, according to the Canadian Paediatric Society, which represents nearly 3,000 pediatricians. Each year, 250,000 children are born in Canada and the roup estimates that 7 per cent are premature. The group added that 95 per cent of moms pump breast milk, but only 50 per cent produce enough to feed their babies, and milk banks could save many lives. Researchers will examine the difference between natural breast milk and pasteurized donor milk on premature babies.

Montreal Gazette