Nor is Gabriel alone. Last year, milk donated to Irvinestown Milk Bank in Co Fermanagh helped 429 sick and premature babies in 11 hospitals nationwide, including 26 sets of twins and one set of quads. Unusually, the milk is transported to and from the milk bank as part of a courier service with Bus Eireann.

"We are extremely reliant on a huge supply of people, including the Bus Eireann drivers who bring the donated milk up to Fermanagh and transport it back to hospitals where premature babies need it, " said Anne McCrea, lactation consultant at Irvinestown. "It means that no matter where you are in Ireland, it is possible to donate, and we get milk from all corners of the country."

For premature babies, breast milk is vital as it helps protect them against Necrotising Enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening condition that affects the baby's bowel and is particularly prevalent in premature infants.

"When a child is premature, very often their mothers have haemorrhaged or had surgery and are unable to breastfeed, " said McCrea. "In other cases when a child is sick, a mother can get stressed and lose her milk.

We take the pressure off. Our milk helps premature babies and babies who have had gut or heart surgery and find formula too hard to digest."

Prospective milk donors undergo a blood test, which is sent up with their milk donation. All milk is tested twice for potential infections from the donor and is pasteurised to kill bacteria.

Donors tend to be women with excess milk who have heard of the bank after a child they knew received donor milk. Last year, 13 mothers donated after the death of their babies. "There are some very sad stories behind milk donation, " said McCrea.

Cassidy and Brunstrom knew all about the milk bank before the birth of Gabriel.

Cassidy had researched it extensively while pregnant, because she was all too aware of how much she might need it. The couple lost their first child, Liam, last year when he was just 16 days old. Born 10 weeks early, while Cassidy was visiting her family in Canada, he died of NEC. Cassidy was unable to breastfeed because she had had an emergency caesarean section and lost a lot of blood. There is only one milk bank in Canada and it didn't cover Windsor, Ontario, where she was treated.

When Cassidy, originally from Canada but living in Maynooth, Co Kildare for the last 12 years, became pregnant with Gabriel, she was determined that he would have access to breast milk if necessary. That meant having the baby in Ireland.

Gabriel was born 10 weeks premature, weighing just three pounds, and Cassidy haemorrhaged terribly, losing half her body weight in blood.

"The staff in the Coombe were just brilliant, " she said.

"When we asked could we get donor milk, they said absolutely. So the milk bank provided us with milk for Gabriel and I was able to give a little bit myself. He's done so well. We know from Ann McCrea that about 30 women contributed to Gabriel's milk and I often think of them and how great they were." Gabriel came off donor milk just three weeks ago. He is now 18 weeks old and weighs 13 pounds.

According to McCrea, there is a constant shortage of milk at the bank. Last year, they gave out 800 litres. In the first four months of this year alone they gave out 410 litres. "Demand is growing all the time, and as fast as we get it, we are sending it back out, " she said.

"Gabriel is just the best story you could have for the donor milk bank, " said Cassidy. "I don't know if having the milk bank would have saved Liam, but I would have liked him to have the chance.

This was the one thing that we knew we could at least do for Gabriel and we will always be grateful to the milk bank for giving us that."

For more information contact Irvinestown Milk Bank on 048 686 28333