From Wet Nursing to Human Milk Bank– India Case Study

Suresh K*

Wet nursing, the act of a woman breastfeeding another’s infant, is a deeply rooted practice in India. While historically tied to royal alliances, patriarchal exploitation, and survival, the modern landscape has shifted dramatically to a Human Milk Bank (HMB). An HMB is a specialized service that recruits, screens, collects breast milk from volunteer donors, then pasteurizes, tests, stores, and distributes it. This Donor Human Milk (DHM) is life saver to premature or ill infants when their mother’s own milk is unavailable. This service is a core component of neonatal care, aimed at preventing necrotizing enterocolitis & improve health outcomes in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).

Methods: This article is based on a review of HMB institutional & individual efforts, progress, status, and the challenges in India as of early 2026

Outcomes: There are over 700 to 800+ HMBs operating in roughly 70 countries as of the end of 2025, with significant growth in Brazil, Europe, and North America. Despite historical gaps, there is a strong surge in establishment within India, with over 125 HMBs by 2025 & other developing regions to combat high neonatal mortality rates. HMBs demonstrated resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, developing protocols for safe operation, screening, & social distancing to ensure consistent supply. The trend moves away from isolated, “vertical” banks toward integrating HMB services within hospital systems, focusing on holistic lactation support for the mother. Metabolomics research is emerging, aim ing to understand the impact of pasteurization and potentially personalize nutrition for babies. Donor milk acts as the best alternative to mother’s own milk, drastically reducing the risk of NEC, sepsis, and infection in premature infants. HMBs provide a crucial “bridge” while a mother is building her own supply or recovering from illness. This article is a review of the history and status of HMBs in India as of the end of 2025, to update the maternity homes in need of such services. 

HMBs follow strict screening (health history, blood tests for HIV, hepatitis, etc.) and Holder pasteurization processes to ensure safety. Contrary to early fears, high-quality, non-profit HMBs integrate with other lactation support services to protect and promote breastfeeding. Although setting up banks requires investment, HMBs provide long-term savings by reducing hospital stays, readmission rates, and formula-milk-related infections. 

Challenges: Ensuring consistent, year-round funding and donation volumes remains a challenge. Addressing misconceptions and religious/cultural sensitivities about sharing milk is essential to increasing the donor pool. There is still a need for global, standardized, and regulatory guidelines to support the growth of HMBs in developing countries. While non-profit banks are standard, a rise in commercial, for-profit banks (e.g., Neolacta) has created a mix of models for supplying milk. For organizations looking to establish these services, a comprehensive toolkit developed by PATH and IAP in India in 2017 is widely used for guidance on best practices and quality control. 

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Published on: Jun 16, 2026 Pages: 1-6

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/ojpch.000061
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