3 Unexpected Questions We Ask Our Milk Donors
Want to learn more about our donor milk processes? It all starts with our amazing milk donors, and you may be surprised by some of the questions we ask them!
The journey of any milk donated to The Milk Bank begins with our clinical team, who screen and approve donors, a process that typically takes around 30 days (or as little as a week!). Their first step in guaranteeing we offer safe donor milk is to learn about the health and lifestyle history of each prospective donor. This starts with an online prescreen and questionnaire, and then our team talks one-on-one with each donor to learn more about their health history and answer any questions.
Read on to learn about some of the questions we ask our milk donors before they are approved!
Question 1 for Milk Donors – Are you willing to get bloodwork?
Like a blood bank, The Milk Bank is a living tissue bank, which is why we screen all donors for communicable diseases that could possibly be passed through breastmilk. This includes HIV, HTLV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B & C.
Although pasteurization helps eliminate harmful viruses and bacteria (which we double check by sending a sample for testing), we want to be extra cautious about anything that could cause long-term issues for a medically fragile infant.
The Milk Bank covers the cost of these blood tests. Our clinical team makes the process as convenient as possible, finding the closest lab in your area. We may also be able to accept results if you’ve gotten the required tests done within the past six months.
Question 2 for Milk Donors – What medications have you taken?
There are many medications that are safe to use while breastfeeding. So, a healthy parent who breastfeeds likely won’t have the same concerns about medicine as we do at The Milk Bank. This is largely due to the fragile population we serve.
“Our Pasteurized Donor Milk is usually going to tiny premature infants or babies with high-risk health issues. They might be on their own medications or going through withdrawals from substances they were exposed to in-utero, in addition to their systems still being underdeveloped. We don’t want to negatively affect the treatment they’re already receiving,” explains Amanda Briles, Clinical Program Coordinator at The Milk Bank.
In the same way many medications are fine for breastfeeding, there are medications that are safe for donating to a milk bank. Some might require an exclusion period for any milk you express while the drug is in your system. Talk to a donor specialist if you have any concerns.
Question 3 for Milk Donors – What is your alcohol use while pumping for donation?
While the CDC’s guidelines around alcohol use while lactating are fine for most healthy moms and infants, we again have to keep our fragile babies in mind. Our guidelines for screening donors are set up by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA).
You can help guarantee the safety and acceptance of your donated milk by tracking dates you drank, how many servings you drank, and how long you waited after drinking to pump. We might have to exclude some of your milk. But keeping detailed records or starting the approval process early in your pumping journey will help ensure we can accept as much milk as possible!
Interested in donating your milk to babies in need? Start our pre-screen online or call 317-536-1670 to talk to our clinical team today!