Benefits of donor milk
Breast milk provides optimal nutrition, easy digestibility, growth factors, immunologic protection and infection-fighting components to newborn babies. Donated breast milk is especially helpful to babies who are ill or born prematurely. All donated milk is processed by a certified mothers milk bank and then used to supplement infants whose mothers are unable to produce enough milk.
Women are screened prior to donating and the milk is again tested after processing to ensure its safety.
We proudly work with Northwest Mothers Milk Bank in Portland and use local milk for our local babies.
How to donate
If you’re a breastfeeding parent and have plenty of milk for your own baby, you can be a milk donor!
Milk Donors are healthy, non-smoking mothers with limited medication use. The Milk Bank requests a total donation volume of a minimum of 100 oz. Milk should be frozen for six months or less.
- Contact Northwest Mothers Milk Bank, by phone at 800-204-4444 or fill out this form to schedule a pre-screening interview.
- The Donor Engagement Team will provide you with a link to the donor application, consent to donate and health history questionnaire.
- The team will also obtain a signed health validation form from your health care provider.
- The final step in the screening is a no-cost blood test that can be done at a lab convenient to where you live.
Once test results are received, you will be assigned a donor number and you can arrange for your first milk donation! Go to https://www.donatemilk.org/milk-drop-locations to find a milk drop location near you!
For more information please call 800-204 4444, visit the Northwest Mothers Milk Bank website or contact the St. Charles lactation consultants at 541-706-4924.
