Mother donates surplus breast milk after surviving NICU tragedy
After losing one premature twin and caring for the other in intensive care, Hannah Topp joined a donor milk program and now supplies excess milk to other infants.
Hannah Topp gave birth to premature identical twins at Westmead Hospital, where both were placed in the NICU. Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome caused the death of one infant after three days, leaving Hannah grieving while still caring for the surviving twin. Unable to produce her own milk, she accessed the Australian Red Cross donor milk service, a lifeline for vulnerable newborns.
The program, supported by the NSW government, has supplied over 15,000 litres of milk to state hospitals and is extending to 28 more facilities, including Dubbo and Wollongong. National milk operations manager Chris Sulfaro highlighted the need for more than six hundred donors annually. Now with a healthy seven-month-old, Hannah contributes her surplus milk, hoping to ease the stress of other parents in similar situations.
Why it matters
It shows how donor milk programs can support families coping with premature birth and loss, and highlights the need for more donors.
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