BECOMING A MILK DONOR
Thank you for considering becoming a donor mom. It is a unique gift that will improve the health and may save the lives of several vulnerable babies.4 Easy Steps to Become a Donor Mom:
1. Call the Mothers’ Milk Bank for a brief medical history review at 781-535-7594.
2. Complete a written Health History.
3. Drop off your initial donation of milk.
4. Complete a blood test.
The Mothers' Milk Bank of New England (MMBNE) will be accepting donations of breast milk from all over New England, processing the milk and dispensing it to hospitals caring for premature and sick babies whose mothers cannot provide fully for their babies for all or part of the baby's hospitalization.
Donor mothers are women who are currently lactating and have surplus milk.
Donor mothers must be:
* In good general health
* A non-smoker
* Willing to undergo a blood test (at the milk bank's expense)
* Not regularly using medication or herbal supplements
(with the exception of progestin-only birth control pills or injections, Synthroid, insulin, pre-natal vitamins; for other exceptions, please contact a milk bank for more information)
* Willing to donate at least 100 ounces of milk
* Has a baby less than one year old
A woman would not be a suitable donor if:
* She has a positive blood test result for HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B or C, or syphilis
* She or her sexual partner is at risk for HIV
* She uses illegal drugs
* She smokes or uses tobacco products
* She has received an organ or tissue transplant or a blood transfusion in the last 12 months
* She regularly has more than two ounces or more of alcohol per day
* She has been in the United Kingdom for more than 3 months or in Europe for more than 5 years since 1980
* She was born in or has traveled to Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Niger, or Nigeria.
While MMBNE is still working on establishing a fully functional milk bank, the two closest milk banks are in NC and OH. They are both set up to receive donated milk from a distance. Mothers' Milk Bank of OH has agreed to help us provide donor milk for New England babies. The phone numbers for each of the milk banks is listed below.
Phone Diane at (614) 544-0813
or email Georgia: gmorrow@ohiohealth.com
WakeMed Mothers' Milk Bank and Lactation Center in North Carolina
Phone Bonnie at (919) 350-8599
BMoore@wakemed.org
For more specific information about becoming a donor mom, please call us at 781-535-7594 or email us at: info@milkbankne.org