One mission to feed babies: TN woman donates 300 litres of breast milk in 22 months; saves sick newborns, sets record
Selva Brindha, 33, a homemaker from Kattur in Trichy district, has donated 300.17 litres of breast milk over 22 months, helping save the lives of countless premature and sick newborn babies.
Her effort, supported by an NGO, earned her entries in both Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records.
Her contributions - made between April 2023 and Feb 2025 - accounted for nearly half of the total donor milk collected by Trichy's Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Govt Hospital milk bank in 2023-24.
"It wasn't easy at first. I lost weight and faced scepticism," Brindha said. "But once I learned that pumping milk burns calories and doesn't harm health, I kept going.
Over time, I grew emotionally connected to the cause."
The journey began in 2023 after her daughter required neonatal intensive care, where babies rely on donor milk for survival and growth.
Brindha saw first-hand how vital breast milk was to recovery.
Once her supply outpaced her child's needs, she began donating - eventually making one of the largest known individual contributions to a govt milk bank in India.
A newborn typically needs 20ml to 40ml of milk, 10 to 12 times a day.
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Brindha's donations potentially fed thousands of babies. "She has set an extraordinary example," said Dr S Padmapriya, paediatrician and in-charge of the hospital's milk bank. "We will honour her during our World Breastfeeding Week valedictory function on Aug 7."
Brindha was supported throughout by her family. "Even a small contribution can nourish a baby who desperately needs it. That thought alone should move people to act," she said.
She also called for breaking the silence and taboos surrounding breast milk donation. "Once people understand it's about saving lives, the hesitation fades," she said.
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