Page 4503 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 31 October 2018

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(b) contains nutrients essential for the development of children and their immunity; and

(c) is recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the World Health Organisation as the exclusive nutrition source until an infant is six months of age;

(2) acknowledges that the decision not to breastfeed is not always a choice given some women encounter problems with lactation and milk supply, including:

(a) delayed lactation due to a premature birth;

(b) an insufficient supply of milk;

(c) a baby’s inability to suckle; and

(d) separation from their newly-born child due to illness;

(3) notes:

(a) the value of mothers who have an additional supply of breast milk donating their milk to address the issues outlined at (2);

(i) the benefits to mothers who donate breast milk;

(b) that milk banks facilitate access to donor milk;

(c) the success of official milk banks in other jurisdictions in Australia and throughout the world; and

(d) that feedback as part of the consultation on the Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy (not yet finalised) stressed promoting increased access to breast milk and milk banks;

(4) notes that the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children receives a supply of donor breast milk in situations limited to assisting mothers and their babies who are premature or unwell and there is not enough expressed milk, and that:

(a) every effort is made to use the mother’s milk in preference to donor milk;

(b) it is the baby’s parent’s decision/s alone in deciding whether the baby will receive donor milk;

(c) information is provided to assist parents in making decisions whether to consent to receiving donor milk;

(d) mothers who donate their milk are strictly screened; and

(e) milk is pasteurised to limit risk of infection;

(5) also notes that:

(a) milk banks can have a role beyond assisting in neo-natal settings;

(b) there is no official milk bank to supply milk or donate to in the ACT;

(c) the current supply of donor milk to the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children is from the Mothers’ Milk Bank charity which operates from Tweed Heads, New South Wales; and

(d) informal milk banks exist in the ACT region where donors and their milk may not be screened; and

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