How many milk banks are in the us

Research and history have shown that paying donors adds risks both to the milk recipient and to the baby whose milk is sold. This is a complicated medical and ethical issue that has been discussed, debated, and regulated for millennia, and continues today. The first milk bank opened in Vienna, Austria in There have been numerous milk banks since that time.

What is a milk bank? WHO recommends that low birthweight premature infants be breastfed and, if this is not possible for any extended period of time, that they be fed by a wet nurse or with donated milk from a human milk bank. Human milk banks are run by clinics and hospitals that collect milk from a donor network. Women who wish to donate breast milk have to fulfil certain requirements and undergo an examination to make sure that they are in good health.

The milk is collected, analysed, pasteurized and refrigerated so that it is ready to be administered to hospitalized infants in need of it. When it came to breastfeeding, my body seemed determined to redeem itself. I was lucky to have an immediate and bountiful supply—so bountiful, in fact, that I quickly stocked two freezers full of extra milk.

I was producing double what my son needed, and quickly running out of room. The Texas-based organization caters to hospitals in 22 states with milk from about 1, donors around the country. The screening process to become a donor is extensive. Before I began trundling a cooler packed with vials of frozen breast milk through downtown Washington, D. Once the bank received my donated milk from the drop-off center in the city, they screened it for bacteria, pooled it with other donated milk, pasteurized it, and shipped it back out to hospitals.

Even as I pumped away, I began to wonder about the industry built upon donations from women like me. Were donors ever reimbursed for our efforts or expenses?

For me, coordinating milk drop-off in the city was enough of a hassle and expense that I soon tried a different route: I found a local mother of a NICU baby to donate to on my own.

Find a Milk Bank. How to Help. October 4 , February 17 , January 21 ,