At dawn in Xi’an, donor mothers like He Xiaojing quietly power a lifesaving initiative at Northwest Women and Children’s Hospital. Their contributions—carefully screened, pasteurized, and stored—are lifelines for premature infants weighing as little as 400 grams. As neonatal ICU admissions surge this spring, these donations combat deadly complications for babies too fragile for formula.
Since its 2022 launch, the hospital’s human milk bank has provided 469,819 milliliters of donor milk to 703 preterm infants, 90% of whom weigh under 1,500 grams. Each donation undergoes rigorous bacteriological and viral testing before being distributed to NICUs. Yet demand now exceeds supply, leaving reserves at a critical three-day stockpile.
An urgent March appeal by head nurse Wang Qian sparked an outpouring from mothers like Li Xia, who donated surplus milk after learning how it could reduce antibiotic dependence in vulnerable newborns. Others, including donor Su, brave long commutes to deliver milk, calling it a “contract of hope” for infants mirroring her own child’s struggles.
Despite challenges like high operational costs and uneven awareness among physicians, experts herald new national guidelines as progress. “A standardized network could ensure every city has a milk bank,” says Liang Cuiping of Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center. For now, Xi’an’s donor mothers continue answering the call—one sterilized batch at a time.
