An exclusive breast milk diet is recommended for the first 6 months of life. Breast milk provides the best nutrition for optimal growth and has enzymes to help with digestion. It reduces the risk of illness through protective antibodies. It also contains growth factors, hormones and prebiotics. This composition of human breast milk is unique and cannot be perfectly imitated in the commercial formula milk preparations.
Back to Frequently Asked Questions
Although own mother’s breast milk is the first choice, a new mother may sometimes not be able to produce enough breast milk for the first few or in subsequent days despite maximal effort. In other cases, a mother’s breast milk may not be available if she is suffering from a serious medical condition. In such instances using PDHM can be life saving for infants especially if they are premature and sick.
Medical research has proven that breast milk improves the health outcomes of all babies, both term and preterm. In particular, using formula milk in preterm infants puts more strain on their immature digestive and immune systems. They have difficulty digesting milk and are prone to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC causes the intestines to be damaged and it can lead to death of the baby.
In full term infants with certain medical conditions such as heart disease and gastro-intestinal malformations, the use of breast milk offers protection from infections, reduces feeding intolerance and fosters better long term growth and development.
All donors are screened via a questionnaire and blood tests to ensure they are healthy. KK Human Milk Bank follows strict international guidelines handling and processing of donor milk. Donor milk is stored in special freezers with continuous temperature monitoring.
The risk of acquiring an infection via PDHM is immeasurably small. All donor milk undergoes a process called pasteurisation to kill any disease-causing germs in the milk. The pasteurised milk is tested to ensure it is free of bacteria before it is given to recipients. The benefits of PDHM far outweigh this risk, and the risk of formula feeding, especially for premature infants.
Yes. You can choose not to consent to PDHM or withdraw consent for PDHM at any time. This will not affect the quality of medical care given to your child.
Criteria for PDHM:
All requests for PDHM must be prescribed by medical team and approved by the Director of the KK Human Milk Bank.
PDHM will be discontinued when:
It will be documented in the medical notes that your child is receiving PDHM. However, all information obtained by KKH will be kept confidential and only accessible by authorized personnel in KKH.
No. Donor information is not available to the recipient.
Pasteurised donor human milk remains the safest alternative for vulnerable preterm or sick infants with inadequate own mother’s milk. Stringent standards of donor recruitment and milk handling are maintained and viruses are completely destroyed by the process of heat treatment (pasteurisation).
In line with the recommendations from international organizations such as the Human Milk Banking Association of North America and European Milk Banking Association regarding COVID-19 and donor milk, we are temporarily not recruiting donors with overseas travel history or respiratory illness (fever, cough, sore throat) in the last 28 days including in family members at home.
Existing donors have also been advised to temporarily stop donating, if they are ill or have been in contact with a positive/suspect case for Covid-19. We will continue to monitor the situation as more information regarding the COVID-19 virus becomes available to ensure safety of pasteurized donor human milk.
You can speak to the doctor or medical team in charge of your baby.
You may also contact KK Human Milk Bank via:
Phone: 6394 1986 Email: milkbank@kkh.com.sg
Or visit KK Human Milk Bank at:
KK Women’s And Children’s Hospital 100 Bukit Timah Road Singapore 229899Women’s Tower, Level 2
Operation hours: Monday to Friday (except public holidays)8.30am to 5.00pm (Lunch hour: 1.00pm to 2.00pm)
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