When do mothers need assistance?
WHEN DO mothers need assistance from the breast milk bank?
Those with babies born too early are most in need: "Premature birth is an unplanned, traumatic event for most mothers," Breast Milk Reserve Bank manager Anne-Marie Oelofse said.
When a woman suffers from poor health this can lead to pre-term birth. Oelofse explained that women suffering from hypertension, for instance, often also became ill and had to be hospitalised in the intensive care unit for three to five days after giving birth.
"They also have to use medication that makes it unsafe for them to breastfeed."
A premature baby will usually have to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for about three months. During this time a mother may have to go home to sort matters out there, and will therefore not be able to breastfeed.
Sometimes breast reduction surgery can lead to future problems with breastfeeding.
Some babies are simply too ill to breastfeed.