Breast Milk Donation: My Experience, Storage, Process, and Awareness

Human breast milk is medicine, especially for premature babies. One ounce of milk can feed three premature babies for one day.

• Moms of premature babies are not always able to produce breast milk right away. Some mothers have health issues that prevent them from breastfeeding or providing their own milk
• Breast milk plays an important role in premature babies who require nutrient-dense milk to boost their immune systems and prevent life-threatening diseases such as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) which affects the intestine.
• When a mother’s own milk is insufficient or unavailable, pasteurized donor human milk is the next best option.
• Some babies are allergic to formula, especially premature babies who trouble digesting it. Families who want to give their baby the best start can choose pasteurized donor human milk.

I understand how difficult and disheartening it can be for women, especially new mothers, who are unable to provide their babies with their own milk.

The gift of mother’s milk is a unique and great kindness to ill and premature babies.

My Experience

I am a mom of an 18-month boy currently living in the USA. I am a Native Indian. Breastmilk donation is not common in our culture and many people do not have knowledge about it. But it is an emerging concept and it has been initiated in some cities across India. Thanks to milk banks!

I really did not know about milk donation until my little guy (Eren) was born. Eren was admitted into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or NICU after he was born. I had a fever during my induction, labor, and delivery process, which lasted for 32 hours. I started pumping immediately to initiate my milk supply; meanwhile, Eren was given formula for two days. On the 3rd day, I was able to express the first form of milk called colostrum, which I was able to provide to Eren who was still in the NICU. Colostrum is a thick, sticky substance that helps coat a baby’s digestive tract with nutrients that help the baby’s immune system. My little one recovered and we took him home with happy faces.

Breastfeeding was challenging for me as well as for my little one, as we were both learning and finding our rhythm. As the days passed, my milk supply increased and was more than sufficient for my baby. 

A few days later, I became sick; I had a fever and tender and painful breasts. It was painful as hell, regardless of how often I breastfed Eren. Hats off to all Moms out there, breastfeeding is not easy, it is a labor of love.

At the time, I was not aware of the fact that we have to continuously express milk from the breast. My doctor suggested I  empty my breasts to reduce the discomfort of tender and painful breasts.

For one night-time feeding, I pumped milk so my husband could feed our baby and I could get some rest. I continued breastfeeding and pumping for over a month. I learned that I can save 6-8 oz per day. Not wanting to waste my precious milk, my “LIQUID GOLD”,  I started storing and freezing milk for future use. 

Do you know that breast milk can be stored in the freezer for your baby’s future use? (Refer to “Breast milk can be stored for future use” section below for more details)

When Eren was four months old, we were planning to visit India and thus the stored milk won’t get used. Then how to make use of this nutritious liquid?

While surfing through the process of pumping and storing the milk, I came to know about milk donation. I found out that there are many for-profit and non-profit milk banks in the USA.

After consulting with my husband, we selected a non-profit, The New York Milk Bank (NYMB), and contacted them. They collect milk from carefully screened donors, pasteurize it, and distribute it to infants in New York State and the surrounding area.

How much milk do you need to donate? 

Within a month, I had saved a good amount of milk but for the very first donation, NYMB requires a minimum of 4.5 L (150 oz) of pumped and frozen breast milk. You can opt to make a one-time donation or you can be an ongoing donor and donate throughout your baby’s first and second year. As we had plans to visit India, I  opted for a one-time donation.

According to the CDC, if you’re storing your breastmilk in a regular freezer (the kind attached to a refrigerator), you can store it for up to 12 months, but 6 months is best.

For more details please visit Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk.

However, there are different guidelines for collecting and storing milk for premature babies. NYMB asks that you do not leave your freshly expressed milk on the counter longer than 30 minutes, that you store your milk no longer than 24 hours in the fridge before transferring it to your freezer. If you can place your milk directly into the freezer, even better. They also ask that you pump after your baby feeds at the breast and before to ensure that there is both fore and hindmilk to get higher calorie milk. Higher calorie milk helps premature babies grow well.

I kept on pumping every day even during my busy schedule and after my baby fed so I could get to my target of 150 ounces. I was motivated to pump because I wanted to help babies in need.

After a month, both my little one and I became used to breastfeeding. Eren was growing healthier every day.

I have followed all the safety guidelines of milk storage such as 

1. Washing my hands with soap and water. Carefully cleaning, sanitizing, and storing my pump equipment and bottles.
2. Clearly labeling my breast milk storage bags with the date and time it was expressed.
3. Storing my expressed breast milk immediately in the refrigerator in order to protect the quality of my breast milk.

First, I pumped my milk into the bottle attached to my pump, transferred it into milk storage bags, labeled it with my name, date, time, and amount pumped, and then placed it in the freezer.

NYMB sent me a shipping box with instructions on how to pack my milk and send it back. 

Breast milk donation is a priceless gift

Whether it be one drop, one ounce, or one hundred gallons to share—being a breast milk donor can be a profound experience. Nursing and donating has been such a blessing for me and so fulfilling.

NYMB verified the amount of milk that I sent to them, approximately 141 ounces of breastmilk! 

Without the support of my husband, I could not have donated 141 ounces of milk and in the future, if I can, I wish to donate more. I felt content and glad.

The impact that being a breast milk donor has on my life is more than I could ever put into words. Through breast milk donation, I have helped countless infants that need it most.

This is what I am most proud of.

Breast milk can be stored for future use for your baby

Follow the recommended storage and preparation techniques to maintain the safety and quality of your expressed breast milk for the health of your baby. (Refer Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk for more details). Breast milk can be stored for a short time at room temperature, a bit longer in the fridge, or even longer in the freezer, depending on how soon you want to use it.

There is no doubt breast milk is an excellent source of nutrients for a baby’s health, whether you put your baby to your breast or express it to feed your baby from a bottle. The following conditions may prevent a mother from breastfeeding and thus pumping is considered the next best option.

• Premature babies are not always strong enough to breastfeed. Some babies have difficulty latching. 
• Some mothers have to return to work or school right away.
• For women who experience pain when breastfeeding, pumping may be more tolerable. 
• Having twins, triplets, or more.

In such cases, mothers who can pump can store it in the freezer. 

What Happens at a Milk Bank?

The New York Milk Bank is a non-profit organization. They collect screened, donated breast milk which is then pooled with milk from other mothers and pasteurizes it using a pasteurizer. Samples of the pasteurized milk are then tested for bacteria. It is then dispensed to hospitals and outpatients. 

My experience with breast milk donation to NYMB has been really positive.

Awareness

According to WHO, every year about 15 million babies are born prematurely around the world and that is more than one in 10 of all babies born globally. Almost 1 million children die each year due to complications of preterm birth (2015). Across 184 countries, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born. In India, out of 27 million babies born every year (2010 data), 3.5 million babies born are premature(National health portal – Preterm birth)

Can you imagine?

Just think of India, out of 3.5 million babies who are born prematurely, how many can survive if you donated your breast milk. Every single drop of your milk can save a baby and bring joy and happiness to another mother. But still in India, donating milk is such a TABOO.

Some people do not support pumping and storing milk for future use, whatever be the condition. People are not aware that there are milk banks in India or the process to donate. The life-saving liquid is getting wasted; mothers are expressing their milk and discarding it.

Below is a list of the Human Milk Banks in India –

• Divya Mother Milk Bank, Udaipur, Rajasthan
• Amara Milk Bank (In collaboration with Fortis la Femme), Greater Kailash, New Delhi
• Lokmanya Tilak Hospital (Sion Hospital), Sion, Mumbai
• Vijaya Hospital, Chennai
• KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai
• Deena Nath Mangeshkar Hospital and Research Centre, Pune
• Institute of Child Health, Egmore, Chennai
• Sir JJ Group of Hospitals, Byculla, Mumbai
• SSKM Hospital, Kolkata
• Cama Hospital, Fort, Mumbai

Take Away

Moms who have an abundant milk supply can donate milk to milk banks to help premature infants thrive. Don’t throw away your Liquid Gold!

Have you donated breastmilk or considered donating? Was your baby a recipient of donated breast milk in a NICU? I would love to hear about your experience!