A Guide on How to Donate Breast Milk

One study in the United States found that 50% of women can’t produce enough milk for their babies. This makes it difficult for the baby to grow and receive enough nutrition. This is why many women turn to formula or donated breast milk. 

Breast milk is more nutritious than formula. Many women prefer to use it. If you produce a lot of breast milk, you might be wondering if you can donate yours. 

You can! But how can you donate breast milk properly? What kind of rules should you follow to make sure it's safe for donation?

Keep reading and learn more about it below.

How to Donate Breast Milk

Donating breast milk is beneficial for several reasons. You might produce more milk than your baby can drink. Carrying excess milk can be uncomfortable. 

What should you do if you don't want to waste it?

Donating this milk also helps mothers in need. Being a breast milk donor isn't hard, but there are certain things you need to consider. The first step is finding a milk bank in your area. 

If you don't know where a local milk bank is, you can quickly find one here. There will likely be one around you somewhere. The milk bank won't accept everyone who wants to donate. 

They may have a screening process and you may need to fit certain eligibility requirements. This ensures that your milk is healthy and safe. This is important because some medications can seep into your milk supply. 

This can be dangerous for whatever baby consumes the milk. You should be in good health before you start the breast milk donation process. You also should not donate if your baby still needs milk. 

Doing this may leave you without enough milk to feed your child. You should donate your breast milk if you have an excess amount. You also should not use any herbal supplements. 

These supplements can leach into your milk supply and ruin it. You also need to specify what medications you're taking. Some medications are safe to take while breastfeeding.

Donation Restrictions and Eligibility

You can't donate breast milk if you have syphilis, hepatitis, or HIV. Breast milk donation bank options won't accept you if you have these conditions because they can make your breast milk dangerous. 

You also can't donate if you have used any illegal or recreational drugs in the past year. Smoking cigarettes or tobacco vapes disqualifies you from this process. You may also be disqualified if you have traveled to certain third-world countries in the past year. 

You will learn more about the process once you fill out the donation application. It is important to be honest and detailed when filling out this form. It will help the milk bank determine whether you are a good candidate. 

Always tell the truth about whatever health problems you have. Some milk banks may want you to do a blood test. This will check to see if you have any blood-based conditions or have done drugs recently. 

The bank may test a sample of your breast milk to make sure it's safe too. All this is necessary to make sure the babies that receive your milk won't be harmed.

Preparing to Donate Your Breast Milk

Breast milk can easily get contaminated with bacteria. You can prevent this by being careful. You need a breast pump to collect your milk. 

The pump should be sterilized. You can do this with hot water or steam. Many people think that putting the pump in the freezer will keep bacteria from forming. 

But this is not true. Many species of bacteria can still grow on the pump in the freezer. Clean the pump once a day with hot water and soap.

Make sure you wash your hands too. Bacteria from your hands can easily move to the pump. Once you pump enough milk into the breast pump bottle, transfer that milk into a plastic bag.

Don't touch the milk during this process. Freeze the milk when you're done. This will preserve it.

Create a label for the milk bag. Specify the date and time you pumped the milk. Write how much milk is in the bag in ounces. 

Make sure your freezer is as cold as possible. This will help the milk last longer.

The Details

Breast milk doesn't last longer than one or two days, so you need to donate it fast. 

Bring it to the milk bank once it's chilled. The bank should accept it if you fit all the requirements. You don't always have to go through a milk bank to donate your milk either. 

Some women donate to other mothers in the local area. This is more straightforward. Other mothers may ask you questions such as what medication you are on. 

You can tell them about your health to assure them that your milk is healthy. Follow the same milk preparation steps as you would when donating your milk to a bank. You should make sure the milk is sterilized before giving it to another mother. 

This ensures that the milk is safe for a baby.

Donate Breast Milk the Right Way

If you have excess milk, you can donate breast milk to a bank or other mothers. You need to fit certain requirements when donating to a milk bank.

You also need to be careful when harvesting your milk. Make sure that all the equipment is sterile.

Ready to buy a breast pump through insurance? Set up an account or call us at (888) 977-2229. If you have any questions along the way, we are happy to help. We'll verify your insurance benefits, work with your doctor to obtain a prescription, and file your breast pump claim.

About the Author

Cindy Puppos is 1 Natural Way's Customer Service Manager, so she has a good idea of all the different and wonderful questions that moms have for her team. Thankfully, as the mother of two boys (who are now grown!) and a veteran of the company and breastfeeding, Cindy is always knowledgeable about breastfeeding, pumping and all the latest and greatest pumps!