The Dijon lactarium urgently needs breast milk for very premature babies. Since 2020, stocks have been insufficient while the structure provides many neonatology services in Burgundy and Franche-Comté.
“Right now our stocks of pasteurized breast milk are really low,” explains Nathalie Moscone, concerned. “We have reserves of between 40 and 60 liters whereas we should have 200 liters permanently for smooth operation.“
The pediatric nurse referent to the Burgundy lactarium recognizes that the situation is complicated, because the establishment is the only one in the Center-East to serve the neonatology services of Dijon, Besançon and Lons-Le-Saunier in particular.
This breast milk is absolutely essential for very premature babies, born before 32 weeks. This allows them to limit the risk of infections.
Nathalie Moscone, nurse-babysitter, referring to the Burgundy lactarium
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Breast milk is given by tube “It prevents enterocolitis which is a major threat for such small babies. It is also known to benefit their neurocognitive development.“
All these reasons motivated theAssociation of lactariums of France and association SOS Préma to issue a distress call to all breastfeeding mothers. “It’s a free act but it can save lives because, at that age, milk is a natural medicine” explains the national president of SOS Prémas Charlotte Bouvard.
Giving milk is like giving blood.
Charlotte Bouvard, president of the SOS Préma association
Nathalie Moscone, the childcare nurse, dates the drop in milk reserves from the first confinement in March 2020: “We were faced with two problems: due to the Covid, we could no longer go to mothers who live near Dijon and those who live far away, could no longer go to peripheral hospitals, authorized to collect milk. maternal.”
In 2020, only 1012 liters were collected throughout Burgundy Franche-Comté. The shortage phenomenon affects the whole of France.
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To relaunch donations, the Burgundy lactarium conducted a campaign to appeal for donations in hospital premises in 2021. It succeeded in increasing the number of donors but not the volume of the collection. “Traditionally, we have a few milk donors who commit themselves until the child is 12 months old, which allows for real follow-up. This year, the context was perhaps more delicate, but there are still 175 anonymous donors who donated their surplus milk.
This milk is then distributed between the neonatology departments of the Dijon University Hospital (446 liters requested in 2021) and those of the so-called peripheral hospitals that the lactarium supplies (850 liters requested in 2021). Among them are Mâcon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Auxerre but also Besançon, Lons-Le-Saunier or Troyes.
The donation of breast milk still seems to be unknown.
Even in associations that talk about breastfeeding like the Leche League, the subject is not discussed. Céline Taoutaou says: “Mothers come to our meetings with their own issues and few of them talk about milk donations. This can happen if it’s really a mother who really has a lot of milk or who has heard of the lactarium privately.“
Giving breastmilk remains a very personal process.
Céline Taoutaou, Leche League animator in Côte d’Or
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All women can donate, provided they do not drink alcohol, smoke or take medication for chronic conditions.
Depending on where the mother lives, the milk can be collected at home by appointment or dropped off at a partner hospital. “There are small differences in the volume of milk collected and the procedure but just contact us or consult the website“explains Nathalie Moscone.
The SOS Préma association would like to popularize this gift. She campaigns for information campaigns similar to what is done for blood donation. According to Charlotte Bouvard, “talking to women about it during prenatal interviews or putting an insert in the health record would be a good start.“
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