I want you to know the breast milk bank-584 grams of life-saving donor milk March 24, 16:40

"It may be a few days, if alive."

The emergency caesarean section at the 25th week of pregnancy began with that announcement.

Haruka-chan was born with a weight of only 584 grams.

The first thing she drank before her mother's consciousness returned was "donor milk", a breast milk donated by another mother.

(Tokyo Metropolitan Area Reporter Hiroko Ujiie)

Dangerous condition if you do not give birth immediately

Nobuko, who was 25 weeks pregnant, had a little bleeding that day, so she went to her clinic just in case.

She tells her workplace that she only rests in the morning and she was thinking of going to work in the afternoon.

However, after the examination, he was taken to a university hospital for emergency and the doctor told him unexpected words.

"There is a suspicion of'placental abruption', where the placenta comes off the uterus and the fetus does not receive enough oxygen. It is dangerous if you do not give birth immediately."

Mother Nobuko

"I was panicked because of a sudden thing. I was told that I might be born properly, and I felt like praying" Please help me "while watching the teachers move in a hurry at the hospital where I was transported. was"

Born at 584 grams but doctor "not breathing"

Nobuko immediately entered the operating room and had a Caesarean section, and 50 minutes after the transfer, Yohka was born.

She just weighed 584 grams and was unable to breathe.

Dr. Yuki Tani, who was in charge, recalls as follows.

Dr. Yuki Tani, Nara Medical University Hospital General Perinatal Maternal and Child Medical Center

"The placenta of a baby is peeled off in the stomach, which is a lifeline when diving in the sea. (Yoka-chan) wasn't breathing when she was born, and she didn't have 100 heartbeats, so she hurried to intubate the trachea. "

Dr. Tani completed endotracheal intubation in 2 minutes after Yohka was born.

Her heartbeat calmed down and she was able to enter the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).

Meanwhile, her mother, Nobuko, had begun to have her placenta completely detached.

If her transportation was delayed by another 30 minutes, she said that she was in a situation where her mother and child were in a dangerous situation due to heavy bleeding, and her consciousness did not return for a while.

While she couldn't breastfeed immediately, Dr. Tani suggested to Yohka-chan's father "donor milk."

Father Takeshi

"My wife was in a state where I couldn't hear, so I was told about donor milk by a doctor. Before the surgery, I promised my wife and'I'll do anything for my daughter'." So I asked him to think that he would definitely agree with me. "

Why donor milk for babies born small?

Donor milk refers to breast milk donated by donor mothers to a facility called a "breast milk bank."

It is the mechanism of "breast milk bank".

・ Donor milk provided by the donor is stored frozen after being tested for bacteria and pasteurized in the facility.

・ And if a doctor decides that a baby born small is necessary, we will provide it free of charge based on the request from the medical institution.

Why do small-born babies need donor milk?

Babies born under 1500 grams due to premature birth are called "very low birth weight infants" and are at high risk of contracting infectious diseases and illnesses.

Breast milk has the effect of reducing that risk, and studies have shown that it can reduce the risk of developing a disease in which part of the intestine "dies" by about one-third compared to artificial milk.

In the case of premature birth, it is often the case that the mother is not in good physical condition and does not produce breast milk, so it is necessary to recruit and secure donors.

It is said that Dr. Tani thought that it was necessary to give donor milk to Yohka at an early timing and move the intestines.

Dr. Yuki Tani, Nara Medical University Hospital General Perinatal Maternal and Child Medical Center

"In my hospital, it is a fixed procedure to administer the necessary nutrition through the intestine within 12 hours after birth. I will move the intestine as soon as possible. It has great benefits for the growth of the baby, and if it is breast milk, the intestinal bacteria are easily balanced and good for digestion. "

Yohka was provided with a total of 110 milliliters of donor milk for six days before she was able to drink Nobuko's milk.

And she grew up without any major illness and was discharged at 2412 grams about four months later.

I want you to know the breast milk bank

Dr. Tani makes materials about "breast milk bank" and "donor milk" and explains them to mothers who need them.

Some mothers blame themselves for giving birth prematurely because of themselves,

so I hope to lighten the burden on her mind by carefully communicating the benefits of donor milk.

There are many other mothers who think that artificial milk is better if it is not their own milk, so they said, "Mother's milk is definitely the best, but I want you to use it as a binder." It means that there is.

Dr. Tani's hospital introduced donor milk in 2018 and has used it for 84 babies so far.

We also do tests for people who want to donate breast milk, and 40 are registered as donors.

Dr. Yuki Tani, Nara Medical University Hospital General Perinatal Maternal and Child Medical Center

"Mothers who donate breast milk provide it with a warm feeling," I wish I could use my breasts. "I just need donor milk. Even if I explain it to my family, there are still many things that are not known, so I hope to spread it further. "

I want to be a donor

<Conditions>

The conditions for becoming a donor are that you will be able to produce more milk than you give to your child, and that you have not received blood transfusions or organ transplants so far. You can register at.

<Application procedure>

1 You can apply from the website of "Japan Breast Milk Bank Association" or "Japan Foundation Breast Milk Bank" (* from April 2022).

2 You will be registered as a donor if there is no problem with the results after undergoing the necessary blood tests at each designated facility.

3 Put the milk milked at home, etc. in the designated bag according to the specified procedure, and send it to the breast milk bank by frozen delivery.

Storage space is also an issue for stable supply

More than 7,000 "very low birth weight infants" are born under 1500 grams per year.

Of these, approximately 5,000 babies who cannot be breastfed by their mothers need a stable supply of donor milk.

However, no matter how many donors gather, if the donor milk cannot be stored in a “safe place”, it will not be delivered to the baby who needs it.

Therefore, a new breast milk bank supported by the Nippon Foundation will be opened from April, with a facility set up in the Pigeon headquarters, a major baby products company, and two locations in Japan.

The new facility will be able to store 5300 liters of donor milk, which is about seven times the size of the old facility.

According to Professor Katsumi Mizuno of Showa University School of Medicine, a pediatrician who represents two breast milk banks, the awareness of breast milk banks is gradually increasing, with 203 babies last year and more than 500 babies this year. Provided.

Of the approximately 250 NICUs nationwide, more than 40 have introduced donor milk.

On the other hand, although the operation of the breast milk bank is covered by donations from companies and individuals and contract fees with hospitals, it cannot be said that it is sufficient, and the cost of bacterial testing of donor milk is also high.

In addition, since there are only facilities in Tokyo, it is necessary to set up breast milk banks in various places from the viewpoint of BCP in the event of a disaster.

Professor Mizuno, Showa University School of Medicine

"I am grateful that a new facility will be opened for those who wish to register as a donor because there was a case where there was no storage space and I had to decline. Supporting Japan 30 or 40 years from now. We are going to be a baby born tomorrow today.

Creating an environment where small-born babies can get enough nutrition will lead to better development and growth, so we support with the feeling of "raising together" I hope the circle of babies spreads. "

Postscript of the interview

Youka-chan was born at 584 grams.

She is now two years old and her weight has grown to over 10 kilograms.

Based on her own experience, her mother, Nobuko, said:

Nobuko:

"At first, I had a lot of desire to drink my own milk, but now I'm really grateful that I was allowed to use the breast milk bank, and I'm grateful to those who provided it. It's very important

to

give it immediately after giving birth, and sometimes I can't judge it like I do, so I felt it was important for not only the mother but also the father and family to know about donor milk. rice field"

Breastfeeding banks aren't their own children, but they are supported by the desire of mothers to help their small babies.

It is said that there are more than 600 breast milk banks in 50 countries around the world, but there are only 2 in the country and 19 facilities that can be tested for donor registration.

(* As of March 2022) It

is difficult for mothers with babies to go far to register as donors, so I think it is essential to create a system that makes it easy for them to participate.

I hope that the effort will be expanded to reach all babies who need donor milk.

I felt so strongly through the interview.

Tokyo Metropolitan Area Bureau Reporter

Hiroko Ujiie

Joined in 2010

After working at the Okayama Bureau and Niigata Bureau, the Metropolitan Area Bureau

covered a wide range of medical and educational fields.