Parenting
Food & Feeding
March 12, 2024
Breast milk is often referred to as "liquid gold" because it has everything a baby needs to grow and thrive. It’s the coolest baby drink out there! But collectively, we have a supply and demand problem. Some families don’t have enough breast milk while others have too much. This is where breast milk donations come in. There are lots of ways to do this - ranging from formal milk banks to informal mom-to-mom swaps. Let’s take a look at how this all works.
Milk banks collect, screen, process, and distribute donor human milk, often neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) for premature and sick infants get first dibs.
Milk Banks should be registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), accredited by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), and some are licensed tissue banks. There are strict guidelines in order to distribute pasteurized human donor milk to hospitals and outpatient families.
Once milk arrives at a facility, it gets sorted, tested for bacteria, batched with other donors’ milk to create a uniform batch of donor milk. Together all that milk is pasteurized, and is then tested once again for bacteria. It is stored safely until it’s shipped to families and hospitals nationwide.
If you wish to go this route, reach out to a Milk Bank close by. The Human Milk Banking Association lists them all.
Who gets the milk varies by Milk Bank. That means, you might have to do a little leg work to get milk from a Milk Bank. Start with your pediatrician or hospital to ask for a contact or referral. Next, check out the Human Milk Banking Association. Look for Milk Banks near you, but also note that many will ship within the US. So start reaching out!
This is a more personal and direct way of donating breast milk, where mothers share their excess milk with other mothers in their community.
Donors and recipients typically connect through social media groups or community networks. Once you find a connection, it's common for donors to share their recent health and lifestyle history. There usually is no formal health screening. Milk is often handed over in person.
Here are a couple options for you to look into.
Eats on Feets is a facebook group that has been around since 2010. They have local chapters you can join if you’re interested in milk sharing.
Human Milk 4 Human Babies (HM4HB) is another facebook group option. They have a global network. Check out this map to see the local facebook page for each state/province/country. These pages provide a space where families in need can connect with families who have milk to share.
Share the Drop takes a ‘dating app’ approach to milk sharing. It’s an app where you can register to give or get milk. Then there is a matching quiz based on your location and some other questions. It’s free if you want to share your milk, so get on there!
OK, so there’s no official regulation here, so take a moment to make sure things feel right.
Generally, anyone who has extra milk can donate. Make sure you are healthy, and are not on any drugs where you are advised not to breastfeed. Requirements vary so be sure to take a look at those.
It’s a pretty cool thing to do. You are helping another family out when they need the help. Good for you.
Whether choosing to donate through a formal milk bank or in an informal mom-to-mom swap, take a moment to learn about the guidelines. Breast milk donation, no matter how you do it, is a valuable and selfless act that supports the health and growth of babies who need it most.
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