The Gift of Mothers' Milk

Human milk is the best food for premature babies. But what if a baby’s own mother is too ill herself to provide that milk? If you're a lactating mother, you may be able to help.

Donate Breast Milk to Tacoma General Hospital

Just one ounce of donated breast milk can save the life of a fragile newborn.

That’s why MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital, with its Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), has become an official collection point for human milk.

Local women can donate their surplus breast milk to the Mothers' Milk Depot at Tacoma General, which sends the milk in frozen batches to the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Rocky Mountain Children’s Hospital in Denver. There it is screened, pasteurized and used to fill orders from hospitals nationwide.

Qualified Donors

You may qualify to donate breast milk if:

• You are in general good health
• You don’t smoke
• You don't take regular medications

How to Donate

Taking care of your baby is your first priority. Once you have established your milk supply and are fulfilling your own baby’s needs, there are just a few easy steps to take to become a milk donor and help a fragile infant:

• First, call the Mothers’ Milk Bank at Rocky Mountain Children’s Hospital at 303-869-1888, or toll free at 877-458-5503, for a phone screening with a lactation consultant
• The milk bank will mail a kit of paperwork and tubes for a blood draw
• Call the Tacoma NICU’s lactation desk to make an appointment to draw your blood and drop off your excess breast milk at 253-403-5525
• There is no cost to you, the donor, for lab work and shipments.