60 litres and counting: Jwala Gutta’s postpartum journey sparks milk donation drive

Former badminton player Jwala Gutta revealed that she donated nearly 60 litres of breast milk to government hospitals in Hyderabad and Chennai. Through her motherhood journey, she is raising awareness about donor milk and the urgent need for support for NICU babies

Hyderabad: Badminton champion-turned-coach from Hyderabad Jwala Gutta continues to inspire lactating women to take up the novel cause of donating breast milk.

Turning her personal parenting journey into a powerful public health campaign, the ace athlete revealed in a social media post on X (previously Twitter) that she donated nearly 60 litres of breast milk to government hospitals across Hyderabad and Chennai during her first year postpartum.

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Gutta, who welcomed her daughter Mira in April 2025 with her husband, actor-producer Vishnu Vishal, has used her transition into motherhood to shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of neonatal healthcare, which is the critical shortage in human milk banks.

In her early postpartum months, she had collaborated with Chennai-based voluntary group Amirtham Foundation to donate about 14.5 litres of expressed milk, which was meticulously stored in 70 packets. Now, the top player has scaled it up to a massive 60-litre milestone.

In her post on Thursday, Gutta highlighted the real-world impact of milk banking, saying, “Just 100 ml of donor milk can feed a tiny 1 kg baby for several days. This donation could potentially support dozens of infants in the NICU.”

She went on to say, “This donation could potentially support dozens of infants in the NICU. Donating is safe, screened, and desperately needed. Many NICU babies don’t have immediate access to their mother’s own milk due to medical complications. Donor milk acts as a vital bridge, providing immunity and nutrition during those critical first days.”

The champion badminton player further said, “It serves as a bridge for mothers whose milk may be delayed due to stress, illness, malnutrition or premature birth. Donor human milk is proven to significantly reduce the incidence of Necrotizing Enterocolitis, a life-threatening gut condition, in premature infants.”