What are the risks of donor milk?
Risks for the baby include exposure to infectious diseases, including HIV, to chemical contaminants, such as some illegal drugs, and to a limited number of prescription drugs that might be in the human milk, if the donor has not been adequately screened.
How does donor milk work?
Donor milk is delivered frozen to milk banks, where it’s thawed and medically screened. After that, the milk is pasteurized, cooled, and re-frozen. Samples are screened again after pasteurization to ensure that bacterial growth hasn’t occurred during the heating process.
How much is donor human milk?
$3-5 per ounce
The cost of donor milk varies but is generally estimated as $3-5 per ounce, which includes both direct costs such as screening of donors, and processing and pasteurizing of breast milk, and indirect costs such as research and infrastructure.
Can babies get sick from donor milk?
Donor breast milk that’s screened, pasteurized and distributed through milk banks can protect preemies against serious illness, but donated milk bought online or obtained from friends can actually make babies sick, say U.S. pediatricians.
Can you mix breast milk with donor milk?
According to the AAP, women who cannot produce enough breast milk can supplement with formula or use donor milk that comes from a milk bank. “Informal milk sharing is becoming increasingly popular and widespread,” said Nikita Sood, a researcher at Cohen Children’s Medical Center/Northwell Health in New York.
Is donated breastmilk safe?
Donated breast milk is very safe; it comes from mothers that have pumped more milk than their own baby can eat. Before mothers can donate milk, they are tested for any illness that could pass through their breast milk. Each container of milk is also tested for harmful bacteria.
Can you buy donor breast milk?
The short answer is yes, you can purchase donor breast milk. It is important to note that though donor milk is the best alternative for feeding newborns, it does not have all the same benefits of breastfeeding using mothers’ own milk.
Do you have to pay for donor milk?
To help defray the costs of screening donors and managing donated breast milk, nonprofit milk banks typically charge recipients a fee of about $5 per ounce of milk. Some recipients of donor breast milk have insurance plans that cover these fees. Others pay for them out of pocket.