REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Breast milk is known as the best natural food for babies. Many of Indonesian mothers nowadays are aware of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.

Their infants are exclusively breastfed for six months to achieve optimal growth, development and health.

Unfortunately, not all mothers have the same opportunity. In some cases, they had difficulty and found out breastfeed milk donors as a solution.

However, there are many misunderstandings about breast milk donors. 

Some mothers get spoiled and reluctant to try harder to practice breastfeeding.

"Mothers should realize that the best breast milk for her baby is produced by the baby's own mother," said Chairman of Breastfeeding Task Force of Indonesian Pediatric Association, Dr Elizabeth Yohmi.

She realized, breast milk donors can be found easily in Indonesia. The offers were abundant on social media. 

"But, every mothers should know that they produces breast milk with a spesific composition to adjust the condition of her baby, whether born mature or premature," Elizabeth explained.

According to Elizabeth, premature babies whose mother has not produce breast milk are subject for breast milk donor. And also babies who have intestinal absorption syndrome which can not be fed with formula milk or have a heavy milk protein allergy.

Generally, feeding babies with breast milk donors have advantages and disadvantages. As an alternative to baby food, donor milk was the best food, because it could be most tolerated.

However, the disadvantages breast milk donor basically was its nature as blood product which could transfer various diseases. The most common cases were the transfer of CMV, hepatitis B and C, and HTLV (leukemia and lymphoma trigger) virus.

Elizabeth said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not recommend breast milk donor without screening. 

"Screening was not only done on breast milk, but also the mother who produced it," Elizabeth reiterated.

So, it was not easy as it seen to give breast milk donor. 

She also explained about the ideal storage to keep breast milk donor, just like blood donor. It must be kept in a special cooling box and the staffs who managed it should use personal protective equipment.

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