How to Donate Breast Milk

Guide Note

Donating breast milk is a terrific means of sharing an important resource to premature, ill or orphaned infants around the world. Because breastfeeding is so critical to infant health—it's now recommended that infants are breast fed for at least the first six months of life—it's more important than ever to donate excess breast milk.

Table of Contents

Breast Milk Donation Tips

  1. Make sure you fit the donor profile: are disease-free, don't smoke or drink, are currently breastfeeding.
  2. Start the application process online to determine if you will be able to donate.
  3. Store excess milk in your freezer until collection time.
  4. If you've had a baby pass away, you can still donate breast milk, and there are programs set up specifically for these moms.
  5. Breast milk banks will distribute your breast milk to infants who are premature or critically ill; they may even send your milk to babies in Africa whose mothers aren't able to breastfeed.

Disclaimer

The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the information presented here.

Introduction

(Creative Commons photo by Paul)
(Creative Commons photo by Paul)
  • Donating breast milk, whether you are able to produce extra milk while currently breastfeeding or have had a child pass away while you were breastfeeding, is a crucial means of collecting breast milk for infants who are critically ill, orphans in the United States and abroad, or for adoptive children whose mothers cannot produce breast milk.
  • Milk banks exist across the country, and a couple of recently heralded programs operate nationally, providing free shipping and containers for your stored breast milk. Keep reading to understand how you can participate, if not as a mother then as a volunteer or medical professional.1

Step 1: Determine if You Qualify

  • Donating breast milk will certainly help other newborn babies, whether locally or in other parts of the world, but you need to make sure you are a proper candidate for donation.
  1. You will need to fill out an application to apply to be a donor wherever you choose to donate.
  2. You will also need to take a blood test, if your application is approved, to rule out diseases like HIV, infectious Hepatitis and other communicable diseases.
  3. In general, you will qualify if:
    • You are currently lactating and in good health
    • You are not a smoker or user of drugs or alcohol
    • You are breastfeeding a child who is healthy and gaining weight normally
    • You have no history of cancer
    • You do not take any medications regularly, including insulin for diabetes2
  4. You may also need a recommendation from your doctor, who can verify your medical records.3
  5. Women who have lost children have also been able to donate breast milk, an action that has helped many grieving mothers feel that their children were able to help others in need.1

Step 2: Locate a Milk Bank

Frozen milk donations. (Creative Commons photo by Bart)
Frozen milk donations. (Creative Commons photo by Bart)
  • If neither of these milk banks is right for you, check with your doctor to help find a local breast milk bank that you feel comfortable using.

Step 3: Additional Considerations

Make a baby happy! (Creative Commons photo by Will Foster)
Make a baby happy! (Creative Commons photo by Will Foster)
  • While donating breast milk is not only crucial to developing infants everywhere, you'll need to keep a few things in mind before doing so.
  1. If you deliver a stillborn baby prematurely, you can donate milk. In fact, "preemie" milk can be extremely valuable to other prematurely born infants.4
  2. If you've given birth to a baby who has passed away, contact the Madison Cassady Program, which through the International Breast Milk Project will personally help you through the donation process. You can write an email message to robin@breastmilkproject.org to get started.7
  3. And there are benefits for nursing mothers, too, including speedier return to pre-baby weight, lower risk of anemia, and of course the inspiring knowledge you've helped a child, and often another mother, in need.8
  4. Remember that it's not only critically ill children who need breast milk; babies who've been adopted may need breast milk. Some mothers, due to medications they take or prior medical history, may be unable to breast feed and will be grateful for donations via milk banks.4
  5. To learn more about how to breast feed in general, as well as find support groups and associated content, see Mahalo's page: Breastfeeding.

Conclusion

  • If you have any questions about how to donate breast milk, try contacting either the International Breast Milk Project or the National Milk Bank, both of which have staff on hand to guide you through the process of donating breast milk, a valuable resource for new babies—your excess breast milk could help ward off diseases and protect infants from future illness.

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References for How To Donate Breast Milk

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Time: Putting Breast Milk to Good Use
  2. ↑ International Breast Milk Project: Donor Guidelines
  3. ↑ National Milk Bank: Donor Screening and Process
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 WebMD: Donating Nourishment
  5. ↑ International Breast Milk Project: International Breast Milk Project
  6. ↑ National Milk Bank: National Milk Bank
  7. ↑ International Breast Milk Project: Madison Cassady Program
  8. ↑ National Milk Bank: Benefit for Donors