how to donate breast milk to hospital

Where Can I Donate Breast Milk?

• 1. Donate to a Local Hospital. Hospitals are always in need of donor milk for premature babies in the NICU. Mothers of preemies often struggle more to ...
• 2. Find a Local Milk Bank.
• 3. Help a Friend or Neighbor.
• 4. Donate Online to a Milk Sharing Website.

Full Answer

How do I Sell my Breast milk to a hospital?

215-590-4442. Contact Us Online. Thank you for considering donating your milk! You have the opportunity to help other babies whose mothers cannot make milk. It’s a precious gift. You will need to follow procedures carefully to keep your milk safe for babies that will receive it.

Should women be paid for donating their breast milk?

If breast milk is not readily supplied by a mother, a hospital can order pasteurized human donor milk (PHDM) from a Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) certified milk bank. Here's some important details to know about HMBANA-accredited milk banks:

Why is it important to donate breast milk?

Jan 19, 2016 · Contact the milk bank for pre-screening. You’ll be asked a list of questions to get to know a little bit about you and your baby, your general health, and how much milk you’ll be able to donate. Complete donor forms. To determine your eligibility, you’ll answer questions about your current health and health history, lifestyle, and ...

What is the process for Donating breast milk?

Call us at 212.956.MILK (6455). LIFESTYLE AND HISTORY REVIEW. Complete a written health and lifestyle application, consent forms, and medical releases we can email you or send you via the USPS. MEDICAL CLEARANCE. Have your and your baby’s provider complete the medical releases.

What disqualifies you from donating breastmilk?

You may be disqualified from donating breast milk if you: Have or are being treated for HIV, HTLV (human T-cell leukemia virus), hepatitis B or C, or syphilis. Have a sexual partner who is at risk for HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B or C, or syphilis. Have used recreational drugs within the last year.Jun 23, 2021

Can you donate breast milk at a local hospital?

That makes them the best choice for finding donated milk for your baby. You can also check with your local hospital, which may provide milk through a partnership with a local or regional HMBANA bank. For-profit milk banks may be another option to consider, and may also donate to local hospitals.Jul 14, 2021

How do you donate breast milk to the NICU?

You can reach them at 1.877. 375.6645 (option 4 for Spanish) or via email at [email protected]. You may also visit the University of California Health Milk Bank at https://uchealth.service-now.com/csp for more information and to become a donor.

Can I give away my breast milk?

Donate Milk You can save lives by donating your extra breast milk for use as pasteurized donor human milk. Your breast milk contribution will have a big impact, as a premature infant eats as little as one ounce or less in a single feeding.

Can you sell breast milk to NICU?

When a baby's birth mother is unable or unwilling to pump milk, Donor Milk can be used. In the NICU, this will be a pasteurized milk from an accredited milk bank, and it is used exactly as a mother's own milk might be used. 2.Nov 30, 2020

How much does breast milk sell for?

Breast milk is sold for $1.00 an ounce on Facebook marketplace. However, there are safe ways to get human breast milk for babies.Aug 20, 2020

Is donor breast milk good for premature babies?

Many studies have shown that premature babies – especially those born earlier than 30 weeks – who are fed breast milk have better outcomes. We see less risk of infection while they're in the hospital and fewer incidents of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), which can be a devastating intestinal disease.Aug 2, 2016

How is donated breast milk processed?

How is donor milk processed? Frozen donated milk is thawed, nutritionally analyzed, cultured for bacteria, pooled for nutrient standardization, and poured into bottles, then pasteurized at 62.5 C in a shaking water bath or automatic pasteurizer. Pasteurized milk is quick-cooled, then frozen at -20'C.

How can I sell my breast milk?

You can sell your breast milk at milk banks but most milk banks don't call it selling, instead, they call it donating your milk. The pay is usually $1 per ounce of milk but other milk banks require you to donate 100 ounces first without pay before they start paying you.May 29, 2020

What happens if a baby drinks someone else's breast milk?

“While moms who offer their milk to another mama have good intentions, it is possible to pass diseases through breast milk.” After all, even though it might have more nutrients, the breast milk won't be pasteurized, so you could be putting your baby at risk for contracting bacteria, diseases, or viruses.Jan 22, 2020

Is donor milk covered by insurance?

Pasteurized donor milk could help those babies, but it's often not covered by either private or public insurance. And buying donor milk without insurance can easily cost thousands of dollars a month. That leaves many newborns, especially those in low-income families, without access.Oct 4, 2016

What dies breastmilk taste like?

Breast milk tastes like milk, but probably a different kind than the store-bought one you're used to. The most popular description is “heavily sweetened almond milk.” The flavor is affected by what each mom eats and the time of day. Here's what some moms, who've tasted it, also say it tastes like: cucumbers.Jun 16, 2017

Why is breast milk important?

Breast milk is precious to all infants’ survival and continued health, especially premature and sick babies. Moms who have trouble providing breast milk to their babies can seek the next best alternative: another mom’s milk that was donated and pasteurized by an accredited milk bank. Mamas may consider donor breast milk when faced ...

What is milk sharing?

Milk sharing is giving or using donor breast milk when a mom has trouble producing milk. Typically, we are referring to mothers’ expressed donor milk, however directly breastfeeding another mother’s baby (wet-nursing) is also a method of milk sharing. The three most common types of Milk Sharing in the U.S. today are:

What is NICU in hospitals?

Hospital needs: Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU’s), supplemental milk for babies whose moms aren’t fully lactating, ill infants, infants of mothers who are ill. Infants in the home with medical conditions related to prematurity and feeding intolerance.

What is a wet nurse?

Wet Nursing: A wet nurse is a woman who directly breastfeeds another woman’s child. Wet nurses are employed when the mother is unable or elects not to nurse the child herself. Wet-nursed children may be known as “milk-siblings,” and in some cultures the families are linked by a special relationship of milk kinship.

Can you breastfeed a baby with infectious disease?

Treated with certain medications that are not recommended for breastfeeding. Mother has infectious illness that could be passed to baby through breast milk. Although donor breast milk is the best alternative for feeding babies, it does not have all the same benefits of breastfeeding.

Is milk donated to a non profit?

They are non-profit; milk is donated, and donors are not paid. The donors are strictly screened and tested for diseases such as HIV or Hepatitis B and C – any blood-borne disease. The milk is handled hygienically and pasteurized – killing all known pathogens in breast milk.

How much does breast milk cost?

Also know that buying breast milk from both nonprofit and commercial banks is expensive: The cost of donor breast milk varies but typically costs between $3 and $5 an ounce, which goes toward the processing, handling and distribution of the milk.

What to do if your baby isn't breastfeeding?

If your baby isn’t premature or doesn’t have a medical condition that requires human milk (including prematurity, failure to thrive, an intolerance to formula or allergies) and you’re among the many moms who struggle with breastfeeding, talk to your pediatrician. He or she may be able to help or refer you to a doula and/or a lactation consultant who can. Many nursing issues can be daunting to resolve on your own — but can be solved with the help of a professional.

What is compassionate use milk?

Some have a supply of what’s known as “compassionate use” breast milk, or donated milk that’s left over for moms who aren’t able to adequately feed their babies on their own but aren’t high on the priority list of those who get milk from banks first.

How long can you keep milk in the freezer?

While frozen milk is considered safe for use at home for up to 12 months, many banks have shorter limits on the amount of time milk can spend in the freezer before being donated.

What are potential donors screened for?

Potential donors are screened for HIV, hepatitis B and C, HTLV, and syphilis. The milk bank will give you instructions for having your blood drawn and will cover the cost of the test. Become an approved donor. Once your forms and bloodwork have been reviewed, you’ll be notified about whether you’re eligible to donate.

Can you donate milk outside of a bank?

But donating or receiving milk this way isn’t recommended, according to the AAP and the FDA. Donating outside of an accredited bank means donors haven’t undergone adequate health screening. And milk may not be collected, stored and processed properly to ensure that it’s safe.

What are the risks of taking non approved medications?

Take non-approved medications. Test positive for HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B or C, or syphilis or are at risk of having a bloodborne illness. Recently received a blood transfusion or organ or tissue transplant. Have had potential exposure to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Have tattoos, body piercings or permanent makeup.

How to become a milk donor?

4 Easy Steps to Becoming a Donor 1 SCREENING CALL#N#A telephone screening to establish that you meet the basic criteria to become a milk donor. This takes about 15 minutes or so to complete. Call us at 212.956.MILK (6455). 2 LIFESTYLE AND HISTORY REVIEW#N#Complete a written health and lifestyle application, consent forms, and medical releases we can email you or send you via the USPS 3 MEDICAL CLEARANCE#N#Have your and your baby’s provider complete the medical releases. We can fax these releases for you or you can contact them yourself. 4 FREE BLOOD TEST#N#Once we have your completed forms and blood test results, we will contact you to arrange how you can get your milk to us.

How long does it take to become a milk donor?

A telephone screening to establish that you meet the basic criteria to become a milk donor. This takes about 15 minutes or so to complete. Call us at 212.956.MILK (6455). Have your and your baby’s provider complete the medical releases.

What are the requirements for a donor?

Our donors meet the following basic requirements: In good health and able to breastfeed, with a surplus of milk. No use of nicotine products or regular use of milk enhancing herbs, including fenugreek or blessed thistle. Minimal use of medications.

What To Do With All That Extra Breast Milk?

I started pumping at about four weeks postpartum to build my freezer “stash.” It became almost an obsession to squeeze out those last few drops after each nursing session, or to fit in a pump during my baby’s longest sleep stretch.

Where Can I Donate Breast Milk?

The following are four of the most legitimate ways to donate breast milk. Some have screening processes, some take a more DIY approach.

Can You Sell Breast Milk?

Online breast milk classifieds have popped up as a way for mothers with extra milk to sell to those who are looking to buy. One such example is onlythebreast.com — though I have not personally used this platform.

When should I give my baby breast milk?

Breast milk provides protection against many illnesses, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breast milk for the first year of life.

Does Baycare have breast milk?

BayCare implemented a Breast Milk Donor Program to provide nourishing human breast milk products to ill, premature babies in BayCare Neonatal Intensive Care Units and NICUs around the country. Eligible mothers within the community can now donate their excess breast milk to help premature infants in need. BayCare partnered with Prolacta Bioscience to provide standardized and pasteurized human milk-based formulations for these little babies.

Is BayCare a 100% human milk program?

These human milk products produced from the BayCare Donor Milk Program will provide the benefits of a 100% human milk diet to premature babies. Nursing mothers who want to help can be prequalified to make sure they are healthy enough to donate.

How the program works

Collection: To donate milk under Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) guidelines, a woman must undergo medical tests including HIV and hepatitis blood tests and meet specific criteria. Once approved, they ship or bring their donated milk to a milk depot, where it’s frozen and shipped to a milk bank for processing.

Milk depot at Advocate

Our donor milk program follows the guidelines established by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), which regulates milk donation and banking. Milk depots facilitate milk donations.