By Esther Nakkazi
Donated human breast milk is a necessity as not all women can produce breast milk.
Although, Uganda’s breastfeeding rate is high and has seen significant improvement, rising from 66% in 2016 to the current 87%, with a goal of reaching 95% by the end of 2025 not all babies can access mothers’ breast milk. Babies whose mothers have passed away during child birth also benefit from donated milk, giving them a chance to experience its nutritional benefits.
In Uganda, the establishment of human breast milk banks is on the rise, aiming to support babies who would otherwise miss out.
Samali Namukose, the Assistant Commissioner of the Nutrition Division at the Ministry of Health, shared this information with journalists during a two-day orientation workshop. The USAID Social and Behavior Change Activity (SBCA) project, in collaboration with USAID, the Ministry of Health Uganda, KCCA, and other partners including USAID MCHNA, USAID UHA, IBFAN, and the Preterm Infants Parents Network Uganda, conducted the journalist orientation during the World Breastfeeding Week. The event is part of the SBCA “Obulamu” engagements aimed to enhance media capacity in promoting optimal breastfeeding practices.
Currently, these breast milk banks are located at St. Francis Hospital – Nsambya, Nakasero Hospital, and Mbale Regional Referral Hospital. Namukose highlighted that breast milk can remain safe for up to 8 hours at room temperature, 3 days in a refrigerator, and over a month in a freezer. Kawempe National referral hospital is also going to establish a human milk bank.
A study carried out by Ugandan researchers and published in 2023 found that donated breast milk is perceived similarly to blood transfusion and is considered just as nutritious as a biological mother’s milk.
The research, led by Mary Gorreth Namuddu, used a cross-sectional study with a qualitative descriptive design at Nsambya and Naguru hospitals, both located in Kampala, Uganda.
Through focus group discussions (FGD) and key informant interviews (KII), researchers collected data from fathers, health workers, mothers who had used donated breast milk, and mothers of preterm babies.
Most of the respondents were pro donated breast milk use but some also had negative perceptions. They were disgusted and had safety and quality issues.
“Participants were concerned about the likelihood of disease transmission and passing on genes and bad traits from the donor to the baby,” said Mary Gorreth Namuddu, the Principal Investigator of the study. They were also afraid that it could be expensive and reduce the bond between mother and child.
Namuddu said they need to do more research on mothers’ concerns especially the possibility of genetic transfer from the donor.
WHO recommendations show human milk benefits to infants. Using donated breast milk is not a common practice in Uganda. About 34% of babies in Uganda do not initiate breastfeeding in the first hour of birth, which affects their growth.
“There is a need to increase on the advocacy for donated breast milk by incorporating it in certain guidelines for example in schools by introducing it in the curriculum and including it in the educational materials taught at the antenatal clinics,” said Namuddu.
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