more-in In the last one month, a handful of lactating mothers have approached the breast milk bank of the Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Hospital for Children, Egmore, to donate milk for the newborn, who was rescued from a stormwater drain and admitted to the hospital. Till then, only mothers of babies who are undergoing treatment at ICH were approached to donate milk for the bank. But on witnessing a wider reception for the initiative, the hospital is now open to accept milk from mothers who are willing to come and donate. “Mothers who are willing to donate, or have excess milk or breast engorgement can donate at the bank. They will be screened for infections such as hepatitis B through a simple blood test to check if they are eligible to donate. Then, the milk would be pasteurised to remove germs and sent to the laboratory to test for infections,” said A.T. Arasar Seeralar, director of ICH. He pointed out that at least five to six mothers had approached the milk bank to donate milk since the baby was admitted. The pre-term baby, who was found abandoned in a storm water drain in Valasaravakkam on August 15, was admitted to ICH. “The boy baby weighed 1.9 kg on admission. We screened the newborn for infections as he was found inside a drain. We found two infections in the bloodstream - E.coli bacteria and Coagulase-negative staphylococci. Antibiotics was immediately administered and the baby was on treatment for 14 days,” he said. Throughout the hospitalisation period, the baby received milk from the breast milk bank of the hospital, he said, adding, “The baby was discharged on Tuesday, and handed over to a NGO. We have decided to provide the required mother’s milk from the bank for the baby. A person from the NGO will come to the bank every day and collect milk for the baby. This is the first time that we are sending milk for a baby outside the hospital.”

Stay updated with all the Chennai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.