Express Yourself!

By Stasha Jordan

Motherhood is a joyfully trying time. Excitement and anxiety collide and the rest as they say, is emotional history that our devoted husbands survive. Pregnancy carries the blessing/burden of life; expectations are many as are disappointments.

Words of wisdom (from a friend over coffee): “Pregnancy is a state of anxiety”.

Some of us mommies have joyfully brought to light, and sometimes sadly lost, children. I remain one of the very lucky ones: top medical aid; gynie (gynecologist) to the stars; the most bohemian midwife to follow my spectacular, completely natural water birth, at an equally spectacular birthing clinic.

This does not apply to the vast majority of South African women. Imagine all the joy and anxiety of expectant motherhood eclipsed with the premature birth of a 600 gram baby, clinging to life while you are informed that your HIV status is positive, you are weak, in a state clinic where funding is limited, have suffered severe abdominal trauma and are struggling to lactate, or are not allowed to stay at the hospital while your pride and joy is in NNICU. If you are unable to supply your own breastmilk, regardless of whether it is abundant and pasteurized, your little one will be given formula with a high risk of contracting Necrotising Enter Colitis and dying. If only you had medical aid or a private clinic? If only…

The South African Breastmilk Reserve was born with Logan, my little dude, with the vision of supporting women in motherhood and infants, through donations of pasteurized breastmilk. Bringing donor moms like myself, with privileged access to quality medical care and family support, closer to those mommies born to less fortunate circumstances, to share in the joys and tribulations of motherhood.

SABR today, runs two breastfeeding promotion programs, the human milk bank project of Gauteng and the Feed for Life Initiative. ‘Feed For Life’ endeavours to offer mothers living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS, through the home pasteurisation of breastmilk, a second alternative to formula feeding. The project aims to empower women living in poverty and with HIV/AIDS through educated infant feeding choices, giving them access to information and support. Both programs are still in their infancy and are looking for your support.

So, express yourself! Yes… literally, and donate your excess breastmilk. Children affected or infected by HIV/AIDS are usually nutritionally vulnerable; providing them with breastmilk, which is nutritionally and immunologically superior to any other substitute, is central to their well- being. Whether a child cannot obtain breastmilk directly from its mother because she is ill, or the baby is premature, makes no difference. A newborn deserves the best possible nutrition as there is indisputable and documented evidence that breastmilk is superior nutrition for babies.

You can express your support in many other ways too - do have a look at the South African Breastmilk Reserve's website - www.sabr.org.za - for more information.


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In the news: Mother’s Milk Shipped To South Africa To Feed Starving Orphans (ABC News)

Trivia: “The first picture of [a breast pump]... appeared in Italy in 1577. Breast milk banking first started in Boston [US] in 1910.″ -Ted Greiner, History of Breastfeeding

Of interest: MomSquawk article dealing with the topic of donor breastmilk.