Breast Milk Donation Program
Donating
By donating your excess breast milk, you can help Logan Health provide human milk nutrition to critically ill, premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) who may not be able to receive milk from their mothers. Operated by Prolacta Bioscience, the Kalispell Donor Milk Program is easy, and there is no cost to participate – all from the comfort of your home!
Donor Qualification
- Prolacta will likely qualify a candidate as a milk donor when she:
- Completes and passes the medical and lifestyle history questionnaire
- Obtains health confirmation from her physician and the baby’s pediatrician
- Passes blood testing for HIV 1 and 2, HBV, HTLV I and II, HCV and syphilis
- Provides cheek swab to establish DNA profile
- Verifies acceptable freezer temperature
Milk Collection
- Prolacta provides supplies for free, including:
- Breast milk storage bags
- Shipping coolers with prepaid shipping labels
Testing
- Every shipment of donated human milk is:
- Cross-matched with DNA profile
- Screened for bacteria
- Tested for drugs of abuse and adulteration
Products
Prolacta's human milk products are tested, pasteurized and labeled with nutritional value, then sold to hospitals. Prolacta’s human milk products are provided to extremely preterm infants in NICUs to provide a standardized, all human milk-based diet.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of human milk – mother’s own or pasteurized donor milk if mom’s own milk is not available – for all preterm infants.*
*American Academy of Pediatrics. Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk. Section on Breastfeeding. [originally published online February 27, 2012]. Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-3552
