Mums help Neonatal babies by donating breast milk  | News

Over the past 70 years our Human Milk Bank has provided donor breast milk to neonatal babies in our Women's hospital and throughout the West Midlands and beyond.  

The Birmingham Milk Bank, which was launched in 1950, supports babies in our neonatal unit who are premature or unwell and whose mothers cannot provide their own milk due to geographical separation or maternal illness.  

The fantastic support provided by the Milk Bank is only possible because of donations from mothers. Following a 40% increase in the need for milk, the Milk Bank are encouraging those who can to consider donating.   

Charlotte Sherlaw-Sturrock, a Clinical Genetics Registrar at our Women's Hospital, shared her experience donating to our Milk Bank. She said: “I used to work at the Neonatal department, so I was aware of the babies who needed breast milk. I was passionate about helping in any way I could.  

“I had my baby last year, and it was a really stressful time to be a new mum. I thought about the poor mothers who had babies in the neonatal unit. They must have been going through such a difficult time, and I wanted to help my fellow mums.  

“I donated breast milk for eight months. The process was really easy, and the Milk Bank team were really helpful. It was all done from home, the bottles were sent out to me, and someone came and collected the milk at a time that was convenient for me.”  

Breast milk is collected by the fantastic team of volunteer blood bikers, who collect blood and milk samples all over the West Midlands. Over the past year, more then 6,000 bottles of milk have been sent to neonatal units throughout West Midlands and South Wales.  

Bernice Hancox from South Staffordshire, Paramedic and Risk Manager for the Ambulance Service, also donated breast milk to the Milk Bank. She said: “Following the birth of my son Jack, it was quickly becoming apparent that I was producing excess milk. I remembered hearing about mothers donating milk to babies who were unwell. I did some research and found the Human Milk Bank at the Women's Hospital.  

"I got in touch with the team who from the first contact were absolutely brilliant. They clearly love and are committed to what they do. I had my baby during the pandemic, so I had limited contact with support networks. The team were an unexpected source of comfort, they always took the time to check up on how my baby and I were doing.  

"The process itself was really straight forward and it quickly became a special part of our breastfeeding journey. My son, Jack, loved getting involved. He looked forward to seeing the blood bikers come and he would help me load the milk into the freezer box. In the end, Jack even got his own certificate to say thank you for all his hard work. I was in tears when my donating journey came to an end, it had just become such a special part of our lives."  

The Milk Bank and the mothers who donate provide essential support to babies in our hospital. However, the need for milk is increasing, so we're asking those who can to consider donating.  

"Please do donate if you can, it's a really enjoyable and rewarding experience," added Bernice. "The staff are an amazing extra source of support, they really are a fantastic team."  

For more information on our Human Milk Bank and how to get involved, visit our website: https://bwc.nhs.uk/human-milk-bank