Donating Human Breast Milk

If you have the gift of surplus breast milk, donating it can make a lasting impact on the lives of babies and families. 

Brookings Health System is the 46^th breast milk collection depot for Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa collection program. Donated breast milk can benefit premature infants, babies born with weakened immune systems, adopted infants and babies whose mothers have lactation supply issues.

How to Drop-Off Breast Milk

Approved donors may drop-off their frozen milk by appointment to the New Beginnings Birth Center obstetrics unit by calling (605) 696-8052. 

Milk should be placed inside a plastic sack with handles, like a grocery bag. The plastic sack should be labeled with your five-digit donor number. Make sure you have followed the milk bank’s instruction for collecting donor milk. 

Brookings Health will freeze and store dropped-off donor milk until gathered by Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa. The milk bank will pasteurize the milk and dispense it to locations across the United States.

Donor Qualifications

Milk donors must be in good health and willing to pump and store milk according to the milk bank’s standards. Donors must donate a minimum of 200 ounces of milk over the course of their donation period. 

To become a donor, lactating women must pass a screening process that includes a verbal interview, written questionnaire, permission to contact their health care providers, and blood testing. Other donation requirements include: 

• Non-smoking
• Not taking medication (with a few exceptions)
• Not consume alcohol 12 hours before pumping donated milk
• Not taking herbal supplements, including herbs in multivitamin (multivitamin is not an exclusion)

Screening costs are covered by Mother’s Milk Bank of Iowa. Donors receive no compensation.