SINGAPORE - A breast milk donation bank at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), which has recruited more than 400 donors since its launch in August 2017, has helped more than 600 vulnerable babies whose mothers cannot produce enough milk for them.

Breast milk collected by the bank - the only one in Singapore - has also enabled a drop in the incidence of necrotising enterocolitis, a serious intestinal disease which is the leading cause of death among premature babies.

Before the bank started, 5.8 per cent of around 200 babies had the disease. But this has dropped to the current 1.8 per cent, KKH said on Thursday (Nov 8).

Previously, these babies were fed formula milk, which may cause feeding intolerance in premature and sick infants and puts them at risk of necrotising enterocolitis.

Breast milk contains enzymes which help with digestion, nutrients, growth factors, hormones and protective antibodies. It reduces the risk of illnesses and promotes normal growth and development of babies.

Mothers of preterm babies can experience difficulty in providing breast milk, especially in the initial days, due to a variety of reasons.

Last year, about 10 per cent of live births, or 3,962 babies, here were born premature.

At KKH, the proportion of preterm births has increased from 11 per cent to 13.5 per cent, or about 1,500 preterm births, between 2007 and 2017, said Dr Chua Mei Chien, director of KKH's Human Milk Bank.

The main reasons for this are the increasing maternal age at first pregnancy and a higher rate of assisted pregnancies, she added.

Most recipients of the donated human milk were premature babies from KKH, Singapore General Hospital and National University Hospital.

Other recipients included sick babies with medical conditions such as low birth weight, congenital heart disease and conditions affecting the gastrointestinal tract.

Only babies who are Singaporean or permanent residents born in the three hospitals are eligible for help from the milk bank.

On average, each recipient received about 2.9 litres of donor human milk over 13 days, said Dr Chua.

The milk bank is a $1.37 million project funded over three years by philanthropic organisation Temasek Foundation Cares.

Stringent processes are in place to ensure that human donor milk is safe for consumption.

Donors have to undergo blood tests for various diseases and donated milk is tested for bacteria contamination and pasteurised.

The bank follows international guidelines set by the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

Milk donated under the project is free, as the costs of processing it are covered by the Temasek Foundation Cares grant.

Temasek Foundation Cares will commit more funding to expand the programme to benefit more babies beyond the hospital setting, such as those who live in challenging environments, or whose mothers have infectious diseases; are undergoing medical treatments; or have substance addictions, said its chief executive Woon Saet Nyoon.

Madam Aileen Gonzalez, 39, who has both received and donated breast milk to the bank, feels that it is very helpful to mothers like her.

Her daughters were both born premature. She said the older girl, who is now five years old, was fed with formula milk whereas her six-month-old received donated milk from the milk bank.

"Even though it's from another mum, I think breast milk still contains the best nutrients for the child," said Madam Gonzalez, who works as an analyst in logistics operation.

Mothers who wish to donate their excess milk can e-mail KKH at milkbank@kkh.com.sg. They can also call 6394-1986, or visit www.kkh.com.sg/milkbank