Breast Milk Donation

Did you know that just 1 ounce (about 29.57 ml) of donated breast milk can save the life of a fragile newborn? Babies who are born prematurely or have weakened immune systems may not have access to a parent’s breast milk, which contains vital nutrients to support their health, growth and development. If you are producing milk, you may be able to help.

MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, home to Mary Bridge Children’s Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), is an official collection point for donated human breast milk. However, regardless of where you live you can participate in the milk donation program.

Parents can donate their surplus breast milk to the Mothers’ Milk Depot at Tacoma General Hospital, which sends the milk in frozen batches to the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Rocky Mountain Children’s Hospital in Denver. Once it arrives, the milk is screened, pasteurized and used to fill orders from hospitals nationwide.

If you do not live in the Tacoma area or it is not convenient for you to drop milk off at Tacoma General Hospital, you can also work with Mother’s Milk Bank directly. The organization will cover the cost to ship milk via FedEx.

You may qualify to donate breast milk if:

• You are in good health
• You don’t use tobacco products or recreational drugs
• You don’t take regular medications

Taking care of your baby is your first priority. Once you have established your milk supply and are fulfilling your own baby’s needs, there are a few easy steps you can take to become a milk donor and help a fragile infant:

1. Call the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Rocky Mountain Children’s Hospital toll free at 833-234-0555 for a phone screening with a lactation consultant.
2. You will receive a kit of paperwork and tubes for a blood draw from the milk bank in the mail.
3. Work with the Mother’s Milk Bank directly to begin donating or call the Tacoma General Hospital NICU lactation desk at 253-403-5525 to make an appointment to and drop off your excess breast milk. Blood tests are used to screen patients for certain diseases such as HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and others

There is no cost to donors for lab work and shipments, and we send your donation for you.

When storing and donating breast milk, we recommend following these tips:

• Breast milk can be stored for six months in a freezer attached to a fridge and 12 months in a deep freezer.
• Keep 200 ounces frozen for a personal surplus.
• Donate oldest milk first and try to commit to donating 150 ounces or more total.
• Try to consume less than 24 ounces of coffee daily.
• It’s okay to drink alcohol. However, you must wait 12 hours after your last drink before pumping to donate.

Have questions? Email us at [email protected] for more information.