Is human donor milk safe?

Donated breast milk is very safe; it comes from mothers that have pumped more milk than their own baby can eat. Before mothers can donate milk, they are tested for any illness that could pass through their breast milk. Each container of milk is also tested for harmful bacteria.

How do you get donor milk?

Formal Milk Sharing: Formal milk sharing refers to donor milk distributed by milk banks. If breast milk is not readily supplied from their own mothers, a hospital can order pasteurized human donor milk (PHDM) from a Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) certified milk “bank.”

How much does donor human milk cost?

The cost of donor milk varies but is generally estimated as $3-5 per ounce, which includes both direct costs such as screening of donors, and processing and pasteurizing of breast milk, and indirect costs such as research and infrastructure.

Who can donate human milk?

1. Who Are the Donors? Breast milk donors are healthy, lactating mothers. These mothers usually breastfeed their own babies and donate their excess milk to human milk banks out of goodwill, with no payment or compensation.

Is donated breast milk good for babies?

Although some nutrients are lost in pasteurization, donor milk is still better for your baby than infant formula. Preterm infants need extra special nutrition. For the first few months of life, milk from mothers of preterm infants is higher in some nutrients than milk of mothers who deliver full-term babies.

Can my baby drink other breastmilk?

Here’s why that can make experts nervous. The AAP does not encourage using informally shared breast milk, citing the risks of spreading disease. It can also expose an infant to medications, alcohol, drugs, or other contaminants.

Why is donor milk so expensive?

Costs of some research are paid for by researchers’ budgets. Individual milk banks frequently cover the costs of research directly related to donor milk screening, pasteurization and safety measures. These costs often involve staff time and milk testing.

Who benefits from human breast milk banks?

What is a human milk bank? A human milk bank is a service that screens, collects, processes and distributes human breast milk. The recipients of the breast milk are vulnerable pre-term and sick babies and special cases where mothers are unable to supply sufficient milk for their babies.

How long is donor milk good for?

Refrigerator. Freshly expressed breast milk can be stored in the back of the refrigerator for up to four days in clean conditions.