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 Donor human milk banks collect, screen, process, and distribute milk from volunteer breastfeeding mothers. Donor milk is dispensed by prescription to individuals with medical and/or nutritional needs which require human milk. How does a donor human milk bank operate? Breastfeeding mothers willing to express extra milk are carefully screened for health behavior and tested for communicable diseases before being accepted as donors. Donors are taught how to express their milk according to protocols. Donor milk is heat treated to destroy any bacteria or viruses that may be present. Milk is stored frozen until it is needed. "My child might not have lived if it weren't for breast milk donations. She is adopted and I couldn't provide her with mother's milk... People don't realize that some children can't survive on formula and some mothers can't provide their own breast milk."--Mary Jane Pfuetze "It was hard to be a middle class family and know we could not buy or get any food our child could eat from the grocery store. Without donor milk, she could have starved to death in America."--Mary Allenson What does donor milk offer? Donor milk has a broad range of therapeutic uses. In the absence of the infant's own mother's milk, donor milk offers all the benefits of human milk, such as easy digestibility and immune substances to protect against disease. For the infant who is failing to thrive because of feeding intolerance, human milk may be a life saver. Human milk contains growth factors that can assist in maturation of immature tissues and repair of tissues damaged by illness, helping an infant to regain health. Human milk may prevent certain conditions in prematurity that are life-threatening. Frequent reasons for prescribing donor milk:
Where are the distributing North American donor milk banks located? Lactation Support Service Banco de Leche Humana Mothers' Milk Bank Mothers' Milk Bank Triangle Lactation Center & Mothers' Milk Bank Wilmington Mothers' Milk Bank Regional Milk Bank & Breastfeeding Center National Capital Lactation Center & Community Human Milk Bank The Human Milk Banking Association of North America, Inc. is a non-profit organization established in 1985 to:
"Unless you have gone through months with a chronically ill infant, you cannot appreciate how glorious it is to enjoy a healthy, happy child. A baby so happy that after a feeding, can lie in my arms and look up at me with contentment and trust, instead of agony and confusion as to why eating is so awful."--Margaret Hale Perkins Publications available: Guidelines for the Establishment and Operation of a Donor Human Milk Bank For further information or to order a publication, please contact: "Donor milk meant the difference between life and death for my baby."--Michelle Valdez As soon as we put Lindsay on mothers' milk, everything changed. She's a totally different baby... happy and peaceful."--Marilyn Fogerty
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