4 min learnNew DelhiMight 30, 2026 09:31 AM IST
Jankee Mehta, nee Parekh, spouse of tv actor Nakuul Mehta, lately opened up about her emotional story of donating breast milk. “Yesterday, I gave away 90 packets of my saved breast milk as my first donation to the milk financial institution, and I genuinely wasn’t ready for the way emotional that may make me really feel. I’ve had such blended emotions and have cried on and off via the day,” she captioned an Instagram put up.
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Revealing why, Mehta added: “Ever since Rumi was born, I’ve pumped each single day. A number of occasions. Half asleep, exhausted, telling myself only one extra session. Bag after bag. Labelling, storing, making house, repeating. And part of me all the time felt possibly my child would want it sometime. I had no thought these little milk baggage held a lot emotion for me. As a result of for me, it was by no means simply milk. It was self-discipline. Effort. Love. A lot of what my physique has gone via these previous months.”
For those who’re interested in learn how to donate breast milk, right here’s all the pieces it is advisable to know concerning the course of:
Breaking down the steps
Dr Nithya Ponmudi, a paediatrician and neonatologist managing the milk financial institution on the Ladies Centre by Motherhood in Coimbatore, who interacts intently with donor moms day by day, stated: “Predominantly, there are lactating moms whose infants have to be hospitalised long run as a result of prematurity, a few of them even could also be 2-3 months. Because the infants are on very minimal feeds initially and the moms have an excellent provide, they donate the milk to the breast milk financial institution voluntarily.”
In line with her, the volunteer moms who usually are not from the hospital are screened for hepatitis B, HIV, HIV damaging. These moms have sufficient milk for their very own infants and due to this fact donate milk which is in extra. “The moms observe strict aseptic procedures, together with washing palms, sterilizing their pumping tools, and utilizing particular storage pouches. After pumping the milk, it’s shortly frozen in a deep freeze,” she advised indianexpress.com.
Subsequent, the milk is collected by volunteers and is delivered to the ATM, ensuring that they observe the chilly chain. Then the frozen milk is moved right into a devoted pasteurization plant. That is the place the donated milk can be pulled pasteurized, and examined microscopically for sterility, provides Dr Ponmudi.
Adopted by this, the milk is then frozen once more for correct storage. “This milk is checked once more for any bacterial contamination by doing a tradition after which used for provide,” says Dr Ponmudi, including that the oldest milk is equipped first.
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Within the hospital, the precedence checklist contains preterm infants, SGA (small for gestational age) infants, and neonates present process surgical procedure the place feeding with toddler components just isn’t fascinating.
“Outdoors the hospital, donor milk is made obtainable to establishments that should not have a functioning milk banking program. To obtain exterior allocation, a medical prescription or physician’s letter is a should,” she additional provides.
As soon as the milk is equipped, Dr Ponmudi says that it’s instructed to be first moved to an everyday fridge for gradual thawing. “After the milk is thawed, it should be used inside a most of 24 hours. If it’s not used inside 24 hours, the milk must be discarded, to stop bacterial contamination,” she concludes.
