Interest in becoming a donor? Here's how you can help!

STEP 1:

do you qualify? click here «

Review the pre-qualification guidelines now!

If after reviewing the pre-qualification guidelines you feel you may be an eligible donor, continue to step 2!

STEP 2:

We are now accepting online donor questionnaires and consents!

Please click here to begin the application!

OR you may download the application » click here

If you decide to download the questionnaire, please print the document from your computer and write directly on the hard copy. We are able to accept completed questionnaires in the following matter:

Fax to: 949.654.2735

Mail to: 4650 Barranca Parkway, Irvine, CA 92604 (postage can be paid for by us)

Call in: 949.231.9813

Once we receive your completed questionnaire, we will contact you to discuss your eligibility status and next steps!

STEP 3:
We will contact you after receiving your online questionnaire to set up an appointment. At this appointment, we will initiate the screening process and finalize the questionnaire. It will be at this time that you will receive your FREE, double eletric breast pump and instructions. Any future steps will be discussed at this time as well
Why donate?

Extensive scientific research has proven that breast milk is the best possible form of nutrition for infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reminds us that "human milk is uniquely superior for infant feeding". While all babies need breast milk, premature infants have a greater need. Preemies are babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy. These tiny infants need human milk's rich nutrients and disease-fighting protection to grow and stay well. Breast milk is also beneficial for babies with failure to thrive, babies who cannot digest formula, and babies with allergies. In cases where a mother cannot provide her own milk for her baby in the NICU, the AAP states "Banked human milk may be a suitable alternative for infants whose mothers are unable or unwilling to provide their own milk". Premature infants need every available ounce of breast milk for survival and growth. Our smallest infants in the NICU are especially vulnerable to life-threatening infections and intestinal disease.

Studies have demonstrated that for infants in the NICU, human milk, including banked milk, may provide benefits such as:
Lower risk of serious infections of the lungs, intestinal tract, brain, inner ears, urinary tract and circulatory system
Reduced risk of sudden infant death syndrome, sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis, diabetes, asthma, obesity, leukemia and other blood cancers
Decreased infant medical costs and physician visits when compared with formula fed babies
Reduced risk of infant death
Breast milk is vital to a baby's growth and it is important to distinguish that not all milk is the same. Mother's milk is ideal for infants because it is a complex fluid containing more than 100,000 different elements specialized to support human growth, development and long-term health. Breast milk also tastes different every time a baby nurses. This unique benefit helps babies enjoy many different foods later in life. There are thousands of unique elements in breast milk that work to protect babies in a way that formula and medication cannot. Some of these elements include:

sIgA: Protective protein that destroys bacteria
Lactoferrin: Proteins that slow bacteria growth
Lysozyme: Enzymes that help break down food
DHA & ARA: Fatty acids that aid in development

Formula, such as that found in the grocery store, provides the same basic nutrition found in breast milk, but unique and crucial breast milk elements - the protective proteins, enzymes and more - are not found in formula or cow's milk. These nutrients cannot be artificially synthesized which is why breast milk is best. Cow's milk has many of the same nutrients as breast milk, but not in the right levels for a baby. While it is well-balanced for calves, cow's milk lacks vital elements that a human baby needs. The nutrients in cow's milk can also be hard for a human infant to digest. Additionally, feeding cow's milk to an infant too early can cause allergies later in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers avoid giving their infants cow's milk during the first year of life.
Feeding babies human breast milk instead of formula products can dramatically reduce many frightening and often fatal infections. In many cases, mother's own milk is not available to sick babies, decreasing their chance of healthy development. By donating your extra breast milk, you provide these critically-ill infants with an improved chance for survival.

How It All Works
Our milk bank collects excess breast milk from qualified donors in the local community so that processed human milk formulations can be available for very low birth weight NICU infants and other critically-ill babies. The first step in this process is qualifying the medical history and lifestyle habits of potential donors as well as testing their blood for viruses. All donor and recipient information is kept strictly confidential. Once a donor is approved, we provide all of the necessary equipment free of charge including:

Blood testing
A double electric breast pump with hard & soft funnels
Collection bottles & lids
Milk delivery container

After your milk has been received, it is shipped to the processing facility for pasteurization and formulation. Your breast milk donation not only benefits sick babies but also helps subsidize the cost of providing lactation services in your community. Once processed, the milk is then distributed to hospital NICU babies in need. The hospitals in your community will be given first priority to obtain the processed milk. Every ounce of donated milk is critical in making our milk bank program successful. Therefore, Prolacta have designed a program to make your breast milk donation a simple and positive experience. As an approved milk bank donor, you can expect to:

Collect and store your breast milk with the provided equipment
Donate your previously collected milk
Return your filled bottles to our milk bank when convenient for your schedule
Keep the provided electric breast pump after completing your donation to the milk bank

Share in the satisfaction that your donation may save the lives of infants in need
There are also many health benefits for donors as well as breastfeeding mothers. After giving birth, breastfeeding can:

Help you return to your pre-pregnancy weight by burning extra calories
Contract your uterus through the release of a hormone called oxytocin

Help you bond with your baby
Delay the return of your period and ease bleeding from childbirth
Help you retain iron, reducing the risk of anemia (low iron in blood)

These are just some of the benefits breastfeeding can provide after delivery. It also helps women's long-term health. Studies show that breastfeeding may reduce a woman's chance of getting cancer of the ovaries, uterus or breasts, as well as lessen the risk of developing arthritis and certain types of heart disease. It can also decrease the chance of getting osteoporosis.