Tamil Nadu woman donates record 300 litres of breast milk, saves thousands of infants

A woman from Tamil Nadu's Tiruchirappalli has donated over 300 litres of breast milk, helping save the lives of thousands of premature and critically ill infants, officials said.

Selva Brindha (33), a mother of two, donated a total of 300.17 litres over a 22-month-period (from April 2023 to February 2025) to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) Milk Bank, as per a PTI report.

This record-breaking contribution, accounting for nearly half of the total breast milk collected by the milk bank during the 2023-24 period, has earned Selva a place in the Asia Book of Records, as well as the India Book of Records.

In recognition of her remarkable contribution, officials at the milk bank felicitated her during their valedictory session for World Breastfeeding Week on August 7.

Brindha’s journey into milk donation began after her own newborn daughter had been admitted to the NICU for neonatal jaundice. When asked to pump milk for feeding her child, she was encouraged to donate excess milk to other infants with parental consent, as per a Logical Indian report.

This experience, in addition to support from healthcare professionals and the Amirtham Foundation (an NGO), motivated her to donate regularly despite prevalent myths, superstitions, and health concerns.

Premature babies require 20-40ml of milk per feeding, up to 12 times a day. In that regard, Brindha’s donation has nourished thousands who may not have had access to maternal milk otherwise, setting a unique, exemplary example of community service by means of nourishing one of its most vulnerable sections: infants. 

India