- The minimum donation is 150 ounces
- Milk pumped from August 1, 2022 onward is being accepted
- Do not consume alcohol on a daily basis
- If alcohol is consumed, please follow these guidelines: for every 2 ounces of alcohol consumed, please wait 6 hours
- Do not layer or stack your milk (placing just pumped milk into the same storage bag as refrigerated or frozen milk)
- Please label your milk storage bags with the date and time pumped, and your donor number once you are approved
Thank you for your interest in becoming a milk donor and helping premature babies survive and thrive!
HOW IT WORKS
4 Easy Steps to Becoming a Donor
SCREENING CALL
A telephone screening to establish that you meet the basic criteria to become a milk donor. This takes about 15 minutes or so to complete. Call us at 212.956.MILK (6455).
LIFESTYLE AND HISTORY REVIEW
Complete a written health and lifestyle application, consent forms, and medical release we can email you or send you via the USPS
MEDICAL CLEARANCE
Have your provider complete a medical release. We can fax the release for you or you can contact your provider yourself.
FREE BLOOD TEST
Once we have your completed forms we send you for a blood test we pay for. We test for infectious diseases such as HIV, HTLV, Hep B and C, and Syphilis.
HEAR FROM OUR DONORS ON WHY THEY CHOOSE TO DONATE THEIR EXTRA BREAST MILK!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Milk donors are screened for health concerns and communicable disease.
Our donors meet the following basic requirements:
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In good health and able to breastfeed, with a surplus of milk.
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No use of nicotine products or use of milk enhancing drugs.
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Minimal use of medications. Call and we’ll help determine whether a medication is safe for milk donation.
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Willing to undergo a thorough health history screening and get a free blood test for communicable diseases.
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Able to donate at least 150 oz. of milk, unless you are a bereaved mother, in which case we will gladly accept any size donation.
We are able to accept previously frozen milk stored for 3 or 6 months prior to your approval date depending on the type of freezer you are using. Call us and we will discuss this with you.
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Testing positive for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), HTLV (Human T-lymphocytic Virus), Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, or Syphilis.
- Personal history of Leukemia, Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Disease, and Kaposi Sarcoma
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You or your sexual partner is at risk for HIV.
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Use of illegal drugs within the last year.
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Use of any tobacco products.
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Received a blood transfusion or an organ or tissue transplant in the last 6 months.
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Consumes more than 2 ounces of alcohol per day.
- Stacking or layering milk that is freshly pumped on top of milk that has already been cooled in the fridge.
The New York Milk Bank is a non-profit milk bank that adheres to the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) guidelines to provide safe pasteurized milk from carefully screened donors to New York’s fragile and sick infants, thus improving their potential to survive and thrive. Non-profit milk banks such as ours try to keep costs down and any operating surplus is placed in a medical relief fund to help families facing financial barriers to receiving donor milk.
Read our Pumping For Preemies handout to learn how to increase the fat content in your milk so low birth-weight babies grow healthy and strong. Proper hygiene includes washing hands and pump parts before expressing milk, sanitizing pump parts daily, and changing your pump tubing regularly ensures your milk is bacteria-free.
Curious about the milk donation process? Check out Lucie Fink's experience donating her milk!
Take a look at the best way to ensure your milk's safe arrival when it gets delivered to us!
MILK DROP OFF LOCATIONS
26 Convenient Drop-off Locations
Fill out the form below to begin the process of milk donation.