Authors (including presenting author) :
Wong OLA(1), Lai OK(1), Yip WY(1), Wu CFE(1), Leung PH(1), Leung CYJ(1), Yuen WM(1)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Introduction :
The Hong Kong Breastmilk Bank (HKBMB) located at Hong Kong Children Hospital, launched service on 6 January 2025, aims to provide a safe and nutritious breastmilk to preterm and at-risk babies, supporting their health and development while minimizing complications. Princess Margaret Hospital, one of a key HA Birthing Hospitals, is proactive in promoting and supporting breastmilk donations through a structural process, to ensure a seamless and positive donation experience.
Objectives :
1. To raise awareness among expectant and new mothers about the importance and benefits of breastmilk donation, and operation of the Breastmilk Bank.
2. To train hospital staff on breastmilk donation procedures and offer educational resources to donors.
3. To formulate the donation counselling, screening, blood testing and specimens transportation logistics to enhance donors’ experiences in the donation process.
Methodology :
To prepare for donor recruitment, several actions were undertaken as early in June 2024. (1) Informational sessions targeting expectant and new mothers were launched, through antenatal class on lactation lectures and workshops. (2) Staff of O&G department were encouraged to participate in training sessions, supported by various educational materials, including PowerPoint presentations and protocols. Resources such as pamphlets, posters, e-posters, Department’s webpage, and the HA GO HApi journey were utilized to effectively disseminate information. (3) Department Operations Manager, Midwife Consultant had discussed and formulated the donor recruitment and screening procedure with the team of Lactation Consultants. (4) A drill was conducted on 27 November 2024, at K9 PMH to evaluate the effectiveness of the established procedures.
Result & Outcome :
Results:
Starting from 6 January 2025, a total of 8 breastmilk donors were recruited. To match with the capacity of HKBMB’s initial operation, 2 breastmilk donors had been arranged to attend the Lactation Clinic on 7 and 15 January 2025 respectively for counselling and screening, with blood taking to assess the eligbility of breastmilk donation. While for the other donors, appointment have been scheduled for them in the following months.
Conclusions:
Mothers’ motivation to donate breastmilk and attend Lactation Clinic for eligibility screening confirm the effectiveness of our early promotion. Overall, the established procedures appear to be functioning well. Evaluation of the screening and donation process is required in the coming future in order to enhance donors support and increase breastmilk donation.
