How the Milk Bank Works

The Indiana Mothers' Milk Bank is part of a nationwide network of lactating mothers working to help infants in need of human milk. To donate, please visit the How to Donate page.

When mothers of premature or sick infants are unable to produce their own milk -- because they are ill themselves or on medication that precludes breastfeeding -- milk banks provide an alternative way to supply the medicine-like mothers' milk that ailing infants need to thrive.

The bank accepts milk from lactating mothers who are carefully screened to make sure they are free of communicable disease and dangerous drugs that could be transferred to an infant through the mothers' milk. The milk bank then pasteurizes, nutritionally analyzes and labels it before dispensing it by prescription to premature infants, sick infants and others.

Milk donors are not paid, but they do receive training to learn a clean technique for milk collection, times to refrain from donating, proper labeling of donated milk and proper storage and freezing of milk.

There is no fee for ill patients in any participating hospital's neonatal intensive care unit. The receiving hospitals pay a fee to help offset processing costs.

The milk bank follows guidelines developed by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA).

---

Content Modified on: 06/26/2008 13:55:00