What it is
Donor milk is breast milk given by one mother for another's baby. It comes two ways. Milk banks screen donors and heat-treat the milk. Most of it goes to NICUs, and some to families with a prescription. Informal milk sharing is mother to mother, through networks like Eats on Feets. That milk is not screened or heat-treated, and it is often free.
What's typical
Bank milk costs around 4 to 5 dollars an ounce out of pocket. Some insurance and Medi-Cal cover it for medical reasons. Informal sharing is far more common for healthy babies. Families who share often ask the donor about health, medicines, alcohol, and drug use.
What's known
The AAP and the FDA recommend bank milk and advise against informal sharing. The risks they name are infection, medicines in the milk, and milk that has been watered down. The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine takes a middle line. It says informal sharing happens, and describes ways to lower the risk: know the donor and heat the milk at home. In Islamic tradition, children who share milk become 'milk siblings.'
What helps
- Ask your hospital or lactation consultant about bank milk first, especially for a premature or sick baby.
- If you share informally, know the donor and ask the questions directly.
- Never buy milk from strangers online.
When to call someone
- Todaythe baby is sick, vomiting, or has diarrhea after donor milk.
- At your next visityou want a prescription for bank milk, or want to talk through informal sharing.
Who helps
Tools: Birthworker Directory
Related
- Combo feeding: breast and formulaFeeding Your Baby
- Formula feeding: choosing, preparing, and doing it wellFeeding Your Baby
- Building and storing a milk stashFeeding Your Baby
- When your baby is in the NICUBirth and the First Days
What mothers here say
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Sources
- Human Milk Banking Association of North America — Guidelines for the establishment and operation of a donor human milk bank
- American Academy of Pediatrics — Policy statement: donor human milk for the high-risk infant
- Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine — Position statement on informal breast milk sharing for the term healthy infant
Sources are named, not yet linked. The steward verifies each one and adds the link.
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