Interested in Becoming a Donor?

Lactating donors must be in good health and be pumping expressed breast milk in excess of their baby's own needs. Bereaved or surrogate mothers are also eligible to be screened for donation. Donors are allowed to take a variety of milk bank approved medications (OTC and prescribed) and vitamins but must refrain from nicotine use or consuming alcohol daily. Please call or email the Milk Bank to learn more about milk donation. 

After being accepted as a milk donor, we will ship you a cooler if you live out of the area. We will guide you through the packing and shipping of your milk donation and cover all costs associated with transporting your frozen milk from your doorstep to the Milk Bank. Non-local donors will need to donate a minimum of 200 ounces with each donation to ensure that the donation remains frozen during the overnight shipping.

Volunteer donors receive no payment or compensation for their donation, except the satisfaction of knowing they have helped improve the health of many fragile babies and bring relief to their worried families. We will reimburse donors with breast milk storage supplies.

The screening is a three-step process that includes a phone interview, completion of an electronic questionnaire about yourself and your baby, and finally, a blood test, paid for by The King's Daughters Milk Bank. We will also contact your physician and your baby's physician to have them complete a letter of recommendation, regarding both your health and the health of your baby.

Your milk will likely be accepted if you meet the Milk Bank’s screening, storage, and handling requirements.

Temporarily, we cannot accept milk if you, your baby, or any member of your household becomes ill unless it is an uncomplicated cold, seasonal runny nose, or allergies in which the sick person's temperature is not greater than 100 degrees orally.

If you are the sick individual and are given antibiotics or other drugs, there may be an additional period of time that we are unable to accept pumped milk. The Milk Bank staff will be happy to further explain any reasons for the temporary deferral of pumped milk. If you are considering becoming a donor and are storing pumped milk, try to keep a log of any illness or medication dates.

The minimum donation for non-local donors is at least 200 ounces for each donation. The 200-ounce minimum will ensure that your milk remains frozen during priority overnight shipping. For local donors, including those donating to affiliated milk depots, the initial donation must be at least 100 ounces. You may donate as many times as you like. If you prefer to be a one-time donor, that is fine too. For legacy donors, no minimum is required.

After frozen donor human milk is collected and thawed, it is pooled with the milk of other donors, then pasteurized to kill any potential bacteria or viruses. The milk is ready to be dispensed after final microbiological testing ensures its safety.  

Tax-deductible monetary contributions can be made to the Milk Bank. At this time, the donation of milk is not tax-deductible, but together, HMBANA-accredited, non-profit milk banks hope to make this a reality.

Donate

At CHKD, we do NOT charge hospitalized patients for pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) treatments. PDHM treatments are not reimbursed by insurance. We recognize the value of human milk, especially for preterm infants, and provide this treatment at no cost to our most vulnerable hospitalized patients. 

Other hospitals providing PDHM to their patients are charged a non-profit processing fee only. The non-profit processing fee is paid for by the hospital, not the family, and covers the cost of screening, processing, bottling, testing, labeling, tracking, and overnight shipment of the frozen PDHM. Non-profit processing fees are critical to keeping HMBANA milk banks open and operational.

There are many reasons a mother may not be able to meet her baby’s needs:

• A mother may be pumping for twins or triplets and not have an adequate supply due to premature birth.
• The stress of having a hospitalized, critically ill infant whom she cannot hold or directly nurse can affect milk production.
• A mother may require medications that could pass into breast milk and be harmful to the infant.
• A chronic infection such as HIV, hepatitis, or another medical condition can preclude a mother from breastfeeding.
• A breast infection can temporarily affect a mother’s milk production.

To ensure the safety of pasteurized donor human milk, the Milk Bank follows strict screening, processing, and dispensing standards established by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. These guidelines were established under the advisement of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the blood and tissue banking industries.

Potential donors provide complete medical and lifestyle histories and undergo blood tests similar to the screening for blood banking industries. Donated milk is then tested in a microbiology lab after pasteurization to ensure its safety.

The King’s Daughters Milk Bank at CHKD is one of only 32 non-profit milk banks that are members of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. HMBANA is a multidisciplinary group of health care providers promoting, protecting, and supporting safe donor human milk banking. It is the only professional membership association for non-profit milk banks in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, and sets the standards and guidelines for donor milk banking in those areas.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
Food & Drug Administration
National Institute of Health
American Academy of Pediatrics
World Health Organization
Surgeon General of the United States
The Joint Commission 
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Human Milk Banking Assoc. of North America
National Association of Neonatal Nurses
LaLeche League  
World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action
... and more