The Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC) accepts breast milk from walk-in donors.
DSWD Central Visayas nutritionist dietitian Melinda Canares made the call to help babies in the different DSWD facilities who are in need of breast milk after they were abandoned by their mothers.
“A mother’s milk is designed to nourish the body of an infant. The production and delivery of this milk also aids mother’s own health, reduce risks of breast, ovarian and cervical cancers, reduce anemia and promotes weight loss,” Canares said.
She said breastfed children are more resistant to diseases and infections early in life compared to formula-fed babies.
First time breast milk donor, Carla Creus, a mother of a nine-month old baby, personally dropped by RSCC to donate 30 ounces of her own milk.
“Daghan man ko subrang gatas para sa akong baby unya gusto ko nga makatabang sa ubang mga babies nga walay inahan nga maka patotoy (I have lots of extra milk and I want to help those babies who don’t have mothers to personally breastfeed them),” Creus said.
Canares advised the donors to store breast milk in special freezer bags designed for fresh milk or in food jars or any clean, sterilized, hard plastic or glass containers.
These donated breast milk, if pasteurized, can last up to three to six months. Those stored in refrigerator can last from three to eight days.
The DSWD-7 is working on the establishment of a future milk bank for RSCC, a 24-hour residential facility on Gorordo Avenue that provides temporary care and shelter to abandoned babies 0-2 years old.