Nanning, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- "When the epidemic was serious, Liu Junye's donation was the only source of the breast milk bank in the hospital. Mona, a nurse in charge of the breast milk bank at the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said that Liu Junye donated about 58,000 milliliters of breast milk in four months, delivering a "source of life" to many hospitalized premature babies.
Liu Junye, a nurse at the hospital, began donating breast milk after her baby turned a full moon in December 2019. Established in 2015, this breast milk bank is the first public welfare breast milk bank in Guangxi, providing free breast milk for premature babies.
At the beginning of this year, when the new crown pneumonia epidemic was more serious, Liu Junye was breastfeeding, and the breast milk bank of the hospital suspended accepting donations. "Considering that I am a nurse and know how to regulate the preservation of breast milk, the hospital allowed me to take the breast pump home to continue collecting donations." Liu Junye said that her husband was very supportive of her good deeds, and every 10 to 15 days, her frozen breast milk would be transported to the hospital according to the norms.
A nurse feeds a premature newborn at the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Hospital on November 16. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Luyuan
Get up at 4 a.m., pump 4 to 5 times a day... The family looked at it and was very distressed. "Thinking that it is difficult for premature babies in the hospital to drink breast milk during the epidemic, only I can help donate some points at this time, so I persevered." Liu Junye said.
World Preterm Baby Day is celebrated on 17 November, and babies born at 37 weeks and under are medically referred to as premature babies. According to statistics, the neonatal intensive care unit of the Department of Neonatology of Guangxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital receives 2600 cases of critically ill newborns every year, of which about 1800 are premature babies.
"Breast milk contains many immune and nutritional factors that can improve the resistance of preterm infants." Li Yan, deputy director of the 2nd Ward of the Neonatal Medical Center of Guangxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital, said that in recent years, with the gradual increase of second-child mothers and elderly mothers, the incidence of premature babies is also increasing. At the same time, with the development of neonatal treatment technology, the survival rate of premature babies has increased year by year.
"Just born very small." Yang Cui, 36, was born prematurely at the hospital four months ago and weighed only 900 grams. After the birth of the child, he underwent two surgeries and was expected to be discharged from the hospital by the end of November under the meticulous care of medical staff.
After seeing the poster of the hospital donating breast milk, Yang Cui also joined the ranks of donation. Although her baby can't drink breast milk because of intestinal digestive problems, she thinks that she can help more premature babies, and she insists on donating to the hospital every Monday to Friday, and the donation is 4 months.
Yang Cui sits outside the baby's ward every time she donates breast milk, and this "invisible companionship" makes her feel at ease.
Nurses (left) at the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Maternal and Child Health Hospital help a donor donate breast milk on November 16. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Luyuan
During the baby's treatment, every Thursday Yang Cui and her husband can visit the child through the hospital's video system, and whenever they see the young life even if the ventilator is plugged in, it still dances on all fours, Yang Cui is both distressed and very encouraged, "This young life, with its own bravery and willpower to survive tenaciously, we can not give up on him." ”
"Now almost every day there are new mothers who come to donate breast milk." Mona introduced that the current amount of donations can meet the needs of premature babies in hospitals, from the beginning of its establishment to October 31 this year, the breast milk bank has received 8200 people to donate breast milk, a total of 1.48 million milliliters, benefiting 1170 premature babies. "In order to let more children drink breast milk, I hope that the society will pay more attention to breastfeeding and breast milk donation." Mona said.