Overview Video

Community Clinics

Breast Milk Donation Center - Frequently Asked Questions

Who receives donor milk?

The Mothers’ Milk Bank in Denver distributes donated milk for babies with medical need, primarily to hospitals, but also to individual infants with prescription.

Some reasons a baby might need donor milk include:

  • Prematurity
  • Feeding intolerance
  • Immune problems
  • Hypoglycemia or jaundice, gut priming or trophic feeds
  • Prevention of allergies
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Death or severe illness of the mother

Read more about how donor milk is distributed at the Mothers’ Milk Bank website.

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What happens to donor milk

We will keep donated milk in the freezer at the Center and ship it in batches on dry ice to the Mothers’ Milk Bank in Denver.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank pools and pasteurizes the milk before packaging it and distribution throughout the region.

Read more about how donor milk is processed from the Human Milk Banking Association of North America website.

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Why donor milk?

Human milk is the normal food for human babies. For premature or ill babies, access to human milk may help them grow and develop better than they would using artificial milk.

Read more about the value of human milk on the Mothers’ Milk Bank website.

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How do I become a donor?

Nursing mothers wishing to become milk donors are screened for good general health and certain infectious diseases before being accepted as donors.

General requirements include:

  • Good health
  • Non-smoker
  • Negative blood test for viruses
  • No routine use of medications during the time she is collecting donor milk, except for: vitamins and minerals, food supplements, progestin-only birth control, or replacement hormones: thyroid, insulin.
  • Limited use of caffeine and alcohol.
  • Willing to donate at least 150 ounces during the total time she is a donor.
  • Medical release forms signed by mother’s and baby’s doctors.

Read more information about the screening and collection process on the Mothers’ Milk Bank in Denver website.

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