Who Receives Donor Human Milk?

Banked donor human milk is dispensed only by physician prescription or hospital purchase order. *Physicians, click here to view our ordering procedures and download an order form.

"Preemies" weighing less than 2.2 pounds are the most common users of banked milk, but it can be prescribed for a number of medical reasons, including the following:

• Prematurity
• Malabsorption
• Feeding intolerance
• Immunologic deficiencies
• Congenital anomalies
• Post-operative nutrition

Human milk is often in high demand. At times when supplies are limited, priorities help determine which babies receive banked milk first.

Recipient factors:

• Age
• Projected length of need
• Prevention of problems
• Research

Maternal factors:

• Insufficient milk supply
• Medical contraindication to breastfeeding
• Adoption
• Choice

Time factors:

• Short-term use
• Likely to recover
• Preventative treatment

Milk from mothers who deliver preterm is higher in special protective immune properties and other nutrients. Our priority will be to supply premature infants with preterm milk depending on the supply from our volunteer donors. After 30 weeks, a baby may receive full-term, pasteurized donor human milk.