Vadodara: Marking World Breastfeeding Week, Parul Sevashram Hospital on Monday announced that its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has become a zero-formula unit, ensuring that every newborn admitted receives exclusive human milk directly from the mother or through pasteurised donor milk supplied by the hospital’s human milk bank.Founded in 2023, the milk bank k has supported more than 1,000 newborns by providing donor milk whenever mothers‘ own milk is temporarily unavailable. The bank maintains an average stock of over 30 litres of donor milk each month, receives around 20 litres through donations and distributes nearly 13 litres to infants in need.According to the hospital, the initiative aims to improve neonatal outcomes by eliminating formula feeding in the NICU.Donor milk is provided in situations where mothers are recovering from medical complications, experience delayed lactation, have multiple births or face temporary contraindications to breastfeeding.Medical director Dr Geetika Madan Patel said the hospital does not charge mothers for either donating or receiving breast milk, a testament to its commitment to equitable and compassionate neonatal care.Dr Komal Patel, who also serves as medical director, reaffirmed that human milk remains the gold standard for feeding premature and critically ill infants.Neonatologist Dr Sheila Aiyer added that the majority of donor milk contributions come from mothers whose babies are admitted to the NICU.
