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Women's milk bank

A premature baby in an incubator receives donor milk from its own mother via feeding tube

A report on the women's milk bank at Leipzig University Hospital. The neonatology department here is particularly committed to ensuring that premature babies receive donor milk. In premature babies, the mother's and baby's bodies are often not ready to take in or express milk through the breast for weeks.

According to Corina Gebauer, Senior Physician in Neonatology at the UKL, it has now been scientifically proven that donor milk is the best for a premature baby after the mother's own breast milk. Over 300 active ingredients, such as living cells, hormones and enzymes, support the maturation of the digestive system and lungs.

Photographed for ZEIT ONLINE, Dec 2024
Text: "140 Milliliter Lebenshilfe" by Helena Ott
Picture Editing: Caroline Scharff

The mother is breastfeeding her 8-month-old baby, who is now also getting some complementary food. She pumps out the excess milk and donates it to the women's milk bank
donor milk
Corina Gebauer is a senior physician in neonatology and is also responsible for donated milk at Leipzig University Hospital.
The head of the women's milk bank at the UKL, Huyen My Le Thi, prepares the portions for the next day. Each premature baby receives its own individual milk.
Freezers for dispenser milk
A neonatal nurse cares for the premature baby