Milk Bank Media Release
Blood Service announces Milk Bank will provide milk to NSW premature babies
New South Wales’ most vulnerable babies will now have access to pasteurised donor breast milk through a new partnership between NSW Health and the Australian Red Cross Blood Service
These babies face significant health challenges, and breast milk is the preferred choice of feeding to prevent health complications related to their early birth
A mother’s own milk may not always be available or limited, and not every Neonatal Intensive Care Unit has access to donated milk
New South Wales NICU hospitals will now be able to order milk “on demand” as they would with blood
For more information about how the Milk Bank will work please visit milkbank.com.au
Hi res images for download
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General Milk Bank
Milk during processing
Donor Questionnaire
Donor
Videos for preview and download
NICU Babies
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Interviews
Interview with Dr Tim Schindler, neonatologist Royal Women’s Hospital for Women
Interview with NICU mum from Royal Women’s with surplus milk to donate
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Behind the scenes of the Milk Bank facility
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Time stamp |
Activity happening |
0 – 24sec |
Staff returning from seeing a donor with their milk donation |
28 – 39sec |
Placing unpasteurised donor milk into the quarantine freezer |
40sec – 4m 55sec |
Unpasteurised donor milk is weighed and entered into the Milk Bank’s tracking system. A unique unit number is generated to label the unpasteurised donor milk |
4m 56sec – 5m 11sec |
Unpasteurised labelled milk is put into the quarantine freezer |
5m 12sec – 5m 42sec |
Unpasteurised milk has been placed in bottles prior to pasteurisation |
5m 43sec – 6m 07sec |
Loaded baskets of unpasteurised milk are placed in the pasteuriser (5m56sec: a temperature probe is placed into the control bottle – this ensures the correct temperature is reached during the pasteurisation process.) |
6m 08sec – 6m 32sec |
General activity in the Milk Bank |
6m 32sec – 8m 04sec |
Staff are taking the thawed unpasteurised donor milk, and measuring it into bottles for pasteurisation. Milk is pasteurised in single donor batches. The tubing and sterile jug insert are all single use. Process is completed in a laminar flow cabined to reduce risk of contamination (best footage from 7m26sec) |
8m 05sec – 8m 32sec |
Pasteurised milk is placed in the micro-release freezer. |
If you have issues with downloading video footage please contact us.
Media Contacts
- Jemma Falkenmire Ph: 02 9234 2119 Email: jfalkenmire@redcrossblood.org.au
- General: media@redcrossblood.org.au