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The Milk Bank

In 2006, The Birth Center (in affiliation with Prolacta Bioscience) opened up The Birth Center Milk Bank--the Sacramento area's only human milk bank. Our milk bank provides breast milk for premature infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units all across the United States. Breastfeeding mothers can voluntarily donate their extra breast milk to The Birth Center Milk Bank for processing and distribution to preemies. Donors do not need to be clients of The Birth Center.

If you are breastfeeding and produce extra breast milk, consider donating it to The Birth Center Milk Bank. Becoming a donor is simple; the steps are outlined below:

1. Access Prolacta's Online Interview website by clicking www.milkbanking.net. On this site, you'll be able to read FAQs on donation, and fill out an online application which is secure and confidential.
2. If your responses to the questionaire have met the donation criteria you then will be assisted in obtaining a written consent from your healthcare provider that you are deemed healthy for donation.  
3. Next you'll be scheduled for a blood draw. Which will occur at The Birth Center or if you are not located in the Sacramento area, a blood draw can be arranged for your local area.
4. We will need an email report of your storage freezer temperature to ensure a cold enough setting for human milk storage.
5. Once you have passed the blood tests you are elligible to donate your previously pumped milk as well as any milk you may pump on a daily ongoing basis.
6. Upon approval to donate, The Birth Center Milk Bank provides milk collection bags, trains you on how to collect and store the milk, and shows you how to properly clean the pump and bottles.