A Brisbane mum has been donating litres of her breast milk that she hasn’t been able to use to feed.
Tara Moodie, 37, gave birth to her premature twins Ethan and Harrison in July last year.
They were both born at 27 weeks, and sadly Harrison died on the eighth day.
‘My body has been producing double the milk because of it, so we had a lot of milk but nowhere to store it,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘We had been told about donor milk and because my babies were too ill to receive it I knew others needed it and I had spare.’
Tara Moodie, 37, gave birth to her premature twins Ethan and Harrison in July last year and has donated three cooler bags worth of milk so far
Tara had no idea how much milk she would produce but was shocked when her first donation took up three supermarket cooler bags.
The new-mum understands the stress and heartbreak that is involved with looking after premature babies so wants to help make the process as easy as possible for other mothers.
‘It would have been an absolute waste to throw it down the sink so it’s great to know its such a worthwhile cause,’ she said.
‘Expressing milk is fairly inconvenient at times as you have to sterilise the equipment and take your pump with you if you go out for the day so it was important to us to know were making a difference.’
Tara gave birth to her premature twins Ethan and Harrison in July last year and they were both born at 27 weeks and sadly Harrison passed away on the eighth day, leaving his brother behind
Sadly Harrison passed away on the eighth day, leaving his brother Ethan behind
Although Ethan wasn’t able to drink all the milk Tara was providing, he is slowly but surely starting to catch up, which Tara believes is making all the difference.
‘In our case, he was a micro-prem as his birth weight was under a kilo, he was only 886 grams when he was born,’ Tara said.
‘He was hugely, hugely under weight but we’ve gotten up to the 50th percentile on the weight charts and he did that without formula.’
Tara explained that breast milk is often better for premature babies than formula, be it either from their own mother or from donor milk.
‘For me one of the most important things I could do was keep my son on breast milk for as long as I could, formula isn’t bad but breast milk has amazing properties,’ she said.
Although Ethan wasn’t able to drink all the milk Tara was providing, he is slowly but surely starting to catch up, which Tara believes is making all the difference
‘In our case, he was a micro-prem as his birth weight was under a kilo, he was only 886 grams when he was born,’ Tara said
‘I know not everyone can provide breast milk for their babies, which I completely understand, but some babies are coming in as young as 14 weeks and need all the help they can get,’ she continued.
When it comes to donating milk it isn’t as simple as storing it and sending it off, there is an extensive screening process involved to ensure it is suitable for fragile babies.
‘You need to do some tests and there are things they have to check. You’re not allowed more than three cups of coffee, can’t be drinking or have drugs in your system,’ she explained.
‘A lot of women don’t know this but you can’t be consuming fenugreek supplements either, which many new mothers do, if you want to donate.
‘It’s reassuring that there’s such a process, if it was my baby needing donated milk I would feel secure.’
When Ethan was born he was hugely under weight but they have managed to get him up to the 50th percentile on the weight charts and they did that without formula
Queensland Milk Bank is the largest in Australia and has provided milk to more than 1500 premature babies.
Of course the idea of milk sharing isn’t a new concept as it has been around for years.
‘Because of the fragility of extremely premature bubs, breast milk plays a vital role in their survival due to the milk’s infection-fighting properties and high protein composition which makes a big difference to saving little lives,’ Dr Pieter Koorts, Director of Neonatology at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital told FEMAIL.
‘We know supplying donor milk and probiotics has improved survival rates for premature babies at RBWH by almost 70 per cent, and we couldn’t do this without our selfless donor mums.’
The donated milk can go as far as Tasmania but it can’t be any older than three months.
When it comes to donating milk it isn’t as simple as storing it and sending it off, there is an extensive screening process involved to ensure it is suitable for fragile babies
Although Ethan was born seven and a half months ago his original date of birth was four and a half months ago
‘When I made my first donation they had a shortage but now I have a stash here because their freezers are full, it’s never consistent,’ Tara said.
Premature babies have two birthdays – the day your baby was born is the official date of birth – but the original due date is also an important milestone as that is the date you use to monitor their development.
Although Ethan was born seven and a half months ago his original date of birth was four and a half months ago.
‘He’s healthy apart from his lungs as he has a severe lung disease and we’re not sure what the future holds for us,’ Tara explained.
‘The reassuring thing is he’s taking positive steps forward each day and we haven’t had any steps back.’
The milk bank are constantly looking for new donors. Mums who would like to know more and donate, can visit their Facebook page – Queensland Milk Bank.