Community Milk Sharing
Bloom Community Milk Sharing is an informed choice model of human milk sharing that facilitates donor lab testing, safety education and health screening, and accessibility to local infants, with priority given to those under 3 months of age.
Donors are screened with bloodwork to evaluate for illnesses that could pass through human milk. If donor’s have had pregnancy labs drawn (which does not include HTLV I/II) within a year of pumped milk, those will also be accepted.
FAQs
-
There are two very common dilemmas with breastfeeding parents: extra milk and low milk supply.
One timeless solution for both of these issues has been milk sharing. Shared human milk can optimize infant health and nutrition, while profoundly strengthening social bonds and community resilience. But many parents do not know another breastfeeding parent or do not feel comfortable asking for such intimate help. Moreover, parents want basic assurance that milk from another parent is safe. Their healthcare practitioners want this, too. -
Bloom hosts a community based milk-sharing organization facilitated by Dr. Hughes. She seeks to make milk sharing safer through screening guidelines similar to those used by the Human Milk Bank Association of North America (HMBANA) as opposed to blind donation/recipients that are often facilitated through social media. Dr. Hughes reviews donor health histories using a Donor History form and orders blood for lab tests to screen for diseases that can be passed through human milk. Unlike HMBANA milk banks, Dr. Hughes does not thaw, pool, pasteurize, and test donor milk. She does provide instructions for an easy, evidence-based flash-heat pasteurization at home.
Dr. Hughes acknowledges the importance of donor milk from HMBANA milk banks. This pasteurized and tested donor milk is available by physician prescription and is an invaluable source of nutrition for babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Dr. Hughes supports families’ choices regarding milk donation and receipt.
Dr. Hughes acknowledges the importance of donor milk from HMBANA milk banks. This pasteurized and tested donor milk is available by physician prescription and is an invaluable source of nutrition for babies in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. Dr. Hughes supports families’ choices regarding milk donation and receipt.
-
It starts with filling out the form below.
You may have an over-full freezer, over-supply, under-supply, personal illness or be experiencing tragic loss. Maybe you're waiting for your milk to come in and your baby needs supplementation.
Dr. Hughes will contact you about your request.
*Please make sure to read through all documents that apply to you and sign all consents and waivers.
-
Community milk is NOT pasteurized.
You can pasteurize donor milk on your stove-top by following these easy flash-heat pasteurization instructions.
-
If you are a recipient, milk is available on a first-come, first-served basis and infants under 3 months are prioritized.
-
If you are a donor, Dr. Hughes will provide you with an order for the lab testing and the donor health screening form.
Labs are performed at Labcorp or Quest and are processed through insurance.
If you are uninsured but would still like to donate, please choose “uninsured” below. We cover lab costs for all donors.
Dr. Hughes does try to age match donor milk to the age of the recipient infant. Supply always depends upon availability - please help by spreading the word!
In order to cover the costs of labs, time, and materials of maintaining the community milk sharing, there is a charge of $0.75 per ounce to be paid by recipients prior to or at the time of pickup.
Forms & Documents
All forms are filled out on a HIPAA compliant platform
FAQs for Donors
-
There is no minimum amount of milk required to become a donor. We gratefully accept any amount of breastmilk. A parent who commits to maintaining their health and pumping their milk is donating a precious and priceless gift, as well as a lot of time and work!
-
As part of the donation screening process, we ask that each donor have blood drawn for HTLV 1&2, HIV 1&2, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and syphilis (RPR). This is an essential part of informed milk sharing. Labs can be obtained through your physician or through Dr. Hughes. Insurance is billed for labs. If labs from pregnancy (HIV, Hep B, RPR) have been drawn within the last year, those can be submitted in place of new labs.
-
The short answer is yes, usually. Alcohol clears breastmilk at the same rate as it clears the bloodstream. We ask that parents refrain from collecting milk for donation for 12 hours after drinking alcohol. If this does not happen, please mark the milk so we can inform the recipients.
-
Most medications are compatible with human milk. Please disclose any over-the-counter or prescribed medications, herbs and supplements. Dr. Hughes works on an informed choice model and will inform recipients if milk may contain medications and the "level of risk" each one has. A recipient has the right to “pass” on any milk offered them.
-
We appreciate receiving frozen donor milk as soon as it becomes convenient. The fresher your milk, the higher its nutritive value. We accept milk that has been safely handled and stored in a refrigerator freezer up to 6 months and in a deep freezer up to 12 months. Please review our Milk Handling Guidelines.
-
Dr. Hughes typically can respond quickly and arrange transfer of milk in a timely manner. Donor milk will be held for distribution until lab screening is completed.
-
Dr. Hughes recognizes that donating milk after the death of a baby can be a profoundly meaningful focus in bereavement. She is grateful for any amount of milk whenever it becomes available.
FAQs for Recepients
-
Milk is available at $0.75 per ounce.
-
Dr. Hughes provides this service entirely on her own. The fee helps cover lab costs for uninsured donors and copays for those who have one, reviewing labs and medication of donors, providing safety information to recipients about the milk, storage equipment and monitoring, malpractice and liability insurance, and time coordinating delivery and pickup.
-
The short answer is yes, usually. Alcohol clears breastmilk at the same rate as it clears the bloodstream. We ask that parents refrain from collecting milk for donation for 12 hours after drinking alcohol. If this does not happen, please mark the milk so we can inform the recipients.
-
Most medications are compatible with human milk. Please disclose any over-the-counter or prescribed medications, herbs and supplements. Dr. Hughes works on an informed choice model and will inform recipients if milk may contain medications and the "level of risk" each one has. A recipient has the right to “pass” on any milk offered them.
-
We appreciate receiving frozen donor milk as soon as it becomes convenient. The fresher your milk, the higher its nutritive value. We accept milk that has been safely handled and stored in a refrigerator freezer up to 6 months and in a deep freezer up to 12 months. Please review our Milk Handling Guidelines.
-
Dr. Hughes typically can respond quickly and arrange transfer of milk in a timely manner. Donor milk will be held for distribution until lab screening is completed.
-
Dr. Hughes recognizes that donating milk after the death of a baby can be a profoundly meaningful focus in bereavement. She is grateful for any amount of milk whenever it becomes available.