Bialystok supports milk banks all over Poland

Milk banks are simply specialized laboratories that support the treatment of newborns. Their work is financed by the National Health Fund, government programs support the creation and equipping of new facilities. Moreover, it is in Bialystok that a company charitably supports their operation. Paradoxically... for the time being, there is no chance of creating a milk bank in the capital of the Podlaskie province.

Poland's first milk bank - a small, pilot one - was established at the W. Orlowski CMKP Hospital in Warsaw, precisely on March 28, 2012. - The whole of Poland was looking at this project," recalls Aleksandra Wesołowska, PhD, an employee of Warsaw Medical University and President of the Bank of Breast Milk Foundation. - The bank was created thanks to the great commitment of the Consultant for Neonatology in Mazovia, Prof. Maria Katarzyna Borszewska-Kornacka, and the support of the City of Warsaw, but the decisive factor was the openness of the hospital authorities at the time.
- The decision was made by director Jan Czeczot. They all trusted and took a risk, because in 2012, feeding a baby with another woman's milk was even treated as a retreat from current medical trends. And it was an innovative procedure, only in Poland it was simply not used," adds Wesolowska.

- In the beginning, we had few children using milk from the bank. They were patients of the CMKP Neonatology Clinic at the W. Orlowski Hospital headed by Dr. Maria Wilińska. Therefore, we were able to carefully analyze all the elements of the program "We have milk for the premature baby", on the basis of which we implemented the procedure of feeding with donor milk, such as the criteria for recruiting donors or the order of beneficiaries. The management standards developed at that time "in Orlowski," have proven themselves to this day," adds President Wesolowska. Thanks to the Women's Milk Banks Foundation, led by Dr. Aleksandra Wesołowska, 16 milk banks have been established throughout Poland over the past 10 years.

The first large regional milk bank was established in Toruń in 2015. The real record was set in 2018, when six milk banks were established in Wroclaw, Rzeszow, Gdansk, Gdynia, among others. Their creation and equipping was supported by the government's "For Life" program. - this year its budget has more than PLN 970 million to distribute. Importantly - since 2017, the costs of operating milk banks are reimbursed by the National Health Fund.

- The recent pandemic showed how much these breast milk banks were needed, says the foundation's head. - At that time, premature babies had very difficult access to natural breast milk. And milk banks partially came to the rescue.

Closed for cooperation

- The milk bank at the W. Orlowski Hospital is relatively modest, so far operating in the same relatively small room, exclusively for the use of patients of one ward. It has been operating uninterruptedly for 10 years, which proves that storing milk does not take up some huge space and it is possible to base the bank's work on equipment of small dimensions," explains Aleksandra Wesolowska. - They prove that what is needed above all is willingness.

- And that's why we are not giving up on Bialystok. We want to create facilities here for children from the entire Podlaskie region, we have been trying for several years," he adds. - We are open to proposals from medical facilities throughout the region, for now we are negotiating unsuccessfully with the largest.

The solutions are ready: proven equipment, developed procedures, staff training and technical care. An additional argument in favor is the Bialystok-based company, which provides technical support to milk banks all over Poland, and even more so here on the ground, declares its willingness to help.

- We know how to operate the equipment, we know how to help in difficult situations, and we are at the disposal of milk banks all over Poland," explains Danuta Katrynska, owner of Danlab.

- For example, there was a rather unexpected event in the Tri-City recently. The lady who had been operating the milk bank for several years suddenly fell ill and was replaced by new midwives. They were not familiar with the equipment in the laboratory," she says. - We guided them remotely through all the procedures, from obtaining to releasing the milk. We succeeded because we have 10 years of experience operating milk banks and training staff.

Lessons learned in 10 years?

Milk banks mean savings for hospitals and, above all, better outcomes for children. And this is not fortune telling, but hard data from around the world.

- Premature babies, babies in neonatal wards fed with breast milk are hospitalized for shorter periods of time, and need fewer interventions related to antibiotic therapy. This natural solution works much more," argues Aleksandra Wesolowska

- And not all mothers have nourishment. Sometimes they don't have enough of it, sometimes they have to fight for it. Milk banks are there to support young children and their mothers in these difficult moments," argues Danuta Katrynska.

- With milk banks it's like with blood donations, they also save lives. That's why we support them," she adds. - I am convinced that in Bialystok there will also be mothers who will share their milk and help sick babies. Because for now, I am convinced, the excess of this natural and life-giving food is wasted, it is poured into sinks at home.- 

In return, women who donate milk can expect support from lactation specialists and regular checkups. Milk banks have been proving themselves across Poland for 10 years. They also promote breastfeeding and encourage the creation of so-called "lactation rooms" in hospitals.

- As part of our cooperation, we ourselves sponsored such a room at Warsaw Medical University," explains Danuta Katrynska, "There are special chairs for feeding, a refrigerator, a changing table. There are such rooms at every milk bank.

- For many years, soliciting the first milk bank in Poland, I encountered a lot of skepticism. I heard: it is impossible, there is no money, no premises, no procedures. Hospitals are not ready for such laboratories," sums up Aleksandra Wesołowska, PhD, of the Breast Milk Banks Foundation, who is also Head of the University Laboratory for Research on Breast Milk and Lactation at the regional Milk Bank at St. Family Hospital in Warsaw. - Nevertheless, we succeeded, and for this great support I want to thank the people who trusted us. And today, also on the basis of milk banks, innovative scientific research on breast milk is being conducted in Poland. We are analyzing the properties, studying the composition of breast milk, and we are also analyzing the financial and clinical benefits of implementing the milk bank procedure in Poland


Bialystok supports milk banks nationwide https://www.onet.pl/informacje/bia24pl/bialystok-wspiera-banki-mleka-w-calej-polsce/5yschzq,30bc1058 (accessed March 30, 2022).