Breast milk donations sent to Haiti

Haitians are still trying to sort themselves out weeks after being hit with a massive earthquake. With all sorts of donations still being sought to help the Caribbean country (have you done your part yet?) one of the most interesting items being donated is breast milk.

Several groups including the Human Milk Banking Association of North America and LaLeche League International recently put out an "urgent call" for breast milk donations to Haitian orphans and premature babies. Human milk donations have been shipped via a U.S. Navy vessel that has its own Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Prospective mothers interested in giving their milk must undergo a medical screening and meet several requirements (i.e. smokers and those who’ve recently had liquor would be excluded).

The call for breast milk donations has met with resistance from some aid groups citing unsafe conditions in Haiti, a lack of infrastructure to store and persevere the milk, and little need for human milk. Nevertheless, the Human Milk Banking Association of North America’s executive director assured that donations not used in Haiti would be diverted to the U.S. and Canada.

Baby formula may seem to be a reasonable alternative to breast milk yet its unsuitable in disaster situations like Haiti:

In Haiti, where most mothers breast-feed, an influx of formula — even ready-to-feed liquid formula, which requires sterilized bottles and nipples — could be particularly devastating. Both the World Health Organization and UNICEF discourage unsolicited donations of formula in disaster areas. Save the Children has been broadcasting messages in Creole on Haitian radio stations urging new mothers to breast-feed and warning against baby formula made with dirty water.

Image- BBC News
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, BBC News, Booster Shots, Motherlode, MSNBC, TIME