Mothers wary of donated milk

However, according to the survey conducted by the Women and Children's Medical Center, only 25 percent of new mothers are willing to donate their extra breast milk.

Although more than 80 mothers had registered to donate their breast milk one month after the milk bank was established, this is nowhere near enough.

"A huge amount of breast milk is needed to feed sick and premature babies in our medical center," said Liu Xihong, one of the founders of the milk bank. "There are more than 300 hospitalized new-born babies waiting to be fed with human breast milk, which provides them with the best nutrition."

The center launched a free door-to-door service for donors and a milk-collecting service in a bid to raise its milk stocks. However, according to a survey conducted by the center of hundreds of new mothers, only 25 percent are willing to donate their extra breast milk.

And despite the ardent online offers to purchase breast milk and the growing demand, fewer and fewer mothers are breast-feeding.

"In China, the breast-feeding rate in the past 10 years has dropped by 20 percent, which has posed great difficulties in promoting the development of breast milk banks," said Hu Min, secretary-general of the Ningbo Breastfeeding Association, an NGO that tried in vain to establish China's first breast milk bank in 2008.

"Many Chinese mothers have abandoned breast feeding due to concerns about what effect it will have on their figure and their work," said Chang.

"Sacrifices and patience are needed to be a breast-feeding mum," she added.

She said that the convenience of infant formula and people's increasing ability to buy expensive formula have also contributed to the decline of breast-feeding in China.

"The foundation for widely establishing breast milk banks is to increase the breast-feeding rate," she said.

However, breast milk banks in China also face many other challenges, including a shortage of funds and a lack of related regulations.