18/05/2026
Jwala Gutta’s Breast Milk Donation Initiative Draws Attention to India’s Growing Need for Human Milk Banks
New Delhi, May 18 : Former Indian badminton star Jwala Gutta has sparked widespread discussion on maternal and neonatal healthcare after revealing that she donated nearly 60 litres of breast milk to government hospitals in Hyderabad and Chennai during the first year after childbirth.
The athlete shared details of her postpartum experience through social media, explaining that the donated milk was intended to support premature and medically vulnerable newborns admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Her disclosure has since triggered conversations around the importance of donor human milk and the role of milk banks in infant healthcare across India.
According to Gutta, even small quantities of donor milk can have a major impact on critically ill infants. She highlighted that a limited amount of breast milk may sustain underweight newborns for several days, particularly babies born prematurely or facing serious medical complications shortly after birth.
Gutta, who became a mother in 2025 along with actor-husband Vishnu Vishal, used her personal journey to encourage greater awareness about milk donation. She stressed that many mothers are unable to breastfeed immediately because of illness, surgical delivery, stress, premature birth or delayed lactation, making donor milk an essential temporary source of nutrition and immunity for newborns.
Medical experts have long maintained that human breast milk is particularly beneficial for premature babies, as it contains antibodies, enzymes and immune-supporting nutrients that help reduce the risk of infections and severe intestinal complications. One of the most serious conditions linked to formula feeding in preterm infants is Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), a potentially fatal intestinal disease that donor human milk is known to help prevent.
Her remarks have also brought renewed focus to India’s human milk banking network, which remains limited despite the country recording one of the world’s highest numbers of preterm births annually. Milk banks collect surplus breast milk from screened donors, process and store it under medical supervision, and distribute it primarily to infants in NICUs. Health professionals say awareness around milk donation is still relatively low, leading to shortages in several hospitals.
Public response to Gutta’s initiative has largely been positive, with many social media users praising her for using her platform to highlight an often-overlooked aspect of maternal and child healthcare. Several users also appreciated her efforts to normalise discussions around breastfeeding, postpartum challenges and donor milk programs.
The World Health Organization recommends donor human milk for low-birth-weight infants whenever a mother’s own milk is unavailable and properly regulated milk banking systems exist. Healthcare advocates believe public figures speaking openly about the subject could help improve participation in donation programs and strengthen neonatal care support systems across the country.
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