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Looking for Pasteurized Donor Human Milk for your baby?

Why use pasteurized donor milk?

There are many reasons why an infant may need pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM). Certain conditions related to prematurity or other medical issues such as malabsorption or gastrointestinal disorders, formula allergies, or congenital anomalies are some situations when a baby can greatly benefit from the nutritional and immunologic support of donor human milk.

Sometimes a small amount of supplementation may be required for healthy babies as mothers’ milk supply increases or as the mother and baby work to establish feeding.  Using donor milk as a bridge until issues are resolved may be helpful until feeding is on track. Up to 40oz/10 bottles of PDHM can be purchased without a prescription. This amount, 5-10 bottles, is ideal when used as a bridge for short-term needs. In line with our mission, pasteurized donor milk is available to the most medically vulnerable or fragile babies. How PDHM is dispensed are outlined below. The priorities are listed in order.

Priorities for Pasteurized Donor Milk Recipients:

1. Preterm or hospitalized infants with medical conditions who receive donor milk in the hospital that is used according to hospital guidelines.
2. Infants receiving prescription formulas for specific health conditions. Prescriptions are required for more than 40oz/10 bottles per baby.
3. Infants with medical needs who need donor milk after discharge from the hospital. Prescriptions are required for more than 40oz/10 bottles per baby.
4. Newborn infants who need a short-term supplement as a bridge until their mother’s milk supply increases. Usually, 5-10 bottles are used for this purpose. Contact a distribution site below to purchase up to 40oz/10 bottles of donor milk per baby.*
5. If available once the above priorities are met, infants who need a short-term emergency supply of donor milk due to formula unavailability. Contact a distribution site below to purchase up to 40oz/10bottles of donor milk per baby.

In order to meet inpatient hospital needs, referrals to partner HMBANA milk banks may be made for outpatient requests.

*For those needing financial assistance with bridge milk NorthPoint Health & Wellness Food Pantry has a limited amount of bridge milk available for families of newborns who are intending to breastfeed.  See Bridge Bags for more information and complete the Food-Shelf-Enrollment-Form-2021.pdf (northpointhealth.org). Visit the NorthPoint site link for information on hours and location.

Resources for assistance with breastfeeding:

• Family Resources for Breastfeeding Support — Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition (mnbreastfeedingcoalition.org).
• Baby Café Locations – Baby Café USA (babycafeusa.org) – Search by zip code, city, or state for locations of free, drop-in, breastfeeding support groups with trained lactation care.

Where you can get PDHM

Distribution sites have pasteurized donor human milk available for purchase after discharge from hospitals or maternity centers. See the map for locations and the list below for details about hours of operation and requirements.  Donor milk is available in 4oz./120ml frozen bottles.  Cost and number of bottles dispensed varies somewhat by site. Requests of more than 40oz of milk requires a prescription from the mother’s or baby’s provider. A template for a provider prescription is available which your provider can use or have as guidance for completing their own script.  Getting a copy of the script for yourself can be very helpful since it allows you to go to any distribution site.  Currently, sites are unable to submit for insurance reimbursement. Please contact your insurance company to see what coverage is offered. Requests that are greater than 40oz. can be referred to the Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies Golden Valley site.

Donor milk for outpatients is dependent upon availability and hospitalized infants are given priority.

To pick up at the MMBB Golden Valley site, please complete the Outpatient Pasteurized Donor Human Milk Interest Form. After submitting this form, we will contact you by phone and/or text. Texting is an effective way to contact those interested in receiving donor milk. By submitting this form, you are agreeing to be contacted by text. When receiving a text from MMBB, you may opt out by replying STOP at any time. Texting HELP indicates a request for assistance.