COMMUNITY MILK BANK

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The milk donors are healthy, lactating individuals with a surplus of milk that is not needed for their own baby, and are all different ethnicities and from different backgrounds.

There is no minimum or maximum amount for donors, especially bereaved donors (those donating after a loss).

Moderate caffeine use is acceptable (up to 3 servings per day). Ongoing use of tobacco products is not approved for milk donation. For questions about specific medications, please contact me.

If you have a question about how COVID-19 impacts milk donation, read the info page here and Prenatal Yini has a great video to watch.

Medications accepted for milk donation include:

• Nasal sprays
• Eye drops
• Topical creams and ointments
• Vaginal creams and gels
• Tylenol (acetaminophen)
• Advil (ibuprofen)
• Oral contraceptives containing progestin only (“mini pill”)
• Inhalers for asthma
• Non-drowsy antihistamines without added decongestants
• Stool softeners ​
• Lactation Supplements

Because we serve a very fragile population, we ask our donors to follow conservative alcohol guidelines. The requirements are as follows: 

• No daily use. 
• One serving requires a 6-hour wait to pump milk for donation; two servings require a 12-hour wait. I know this goes beyond the recommendations if someone where to nurse their baby, but BLKBRY also provides milk to clients that are Muslim or do not consume alcohol due to other religious or cultural practices. BLKBRY is about equity and increasing accessibility to resources.

Due to safety precautions and since BLKBRY is providing unpasteurized human milk to folks, the following are reasons for why someone would be automatically ineligible to donate their milk:

• positive for HIV 1/2, HTLV 1/2, Syphilis, & Hepatitis B & C, and/or sexual partner(s) puts you at risk of contracting
• use illegal drugs
• consumes more than one serving of alcohol per day
• you or your sexual partner has received a blood transfusion or blood products in the past 6 months
• you or your sexual partner has received or an organ or tissue transplant in the past 12 months
• you have been exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

BLKBRY also does not accept milk that is not properly stored.

Complete online paperwork 

The next step is sharing more details about your medical history and lifestyle, as well as signing medical consent forms. With your permission, we will contact your healthcare providers to confirm your health history and the health of your baby. 

Approval Message 

After receiving your paperwork, I will review your paperwork. I will send you a message through the client portal to let you know if your donation is can be accepted. If accepted, you will then get to schedule getting your milk to BLKBRY.

Make your donation 

Once approved, you can schedule the drop off your frozen milk at BLKBRY in Burien, WA. There is no cost to you to become a milk donor. BLKBRY does not pay donors for their human milk. 

If you live in Pierce County, Tacoma Urban League is an additional site where you can drop off your donated milk to. Once you apply, you will be contacted to schedule your drop off.

If you live further away, please still apply. BLKBRY is accepting donor human milk from Washington State residents only at this time and will assist with coordinating shipping so that you can safely ship your milk to BLKBRY. If shipping is not an option, we will help coordinate to make sure the milk gets to a Black family in your area.

You may donate milk (for consumption) that has been stored for up to 4 months in a refrigerator freezer and up to 9 months in a deep freezer. Milk pumped prior to donor approval may be accepted for donation. 

Best practices to ensure the safety of your milk: 

• Wash your hands before handling your pump. 
• Use a new, single-use breastmilk storage bag for each pumping session. 
• Label your milk with the date pumped. No additional information is needed. BLKBRY cannot accept donated milk for consumption if the milk is not labeled.
• Do not overfill the bags. 

Yes, BLKBRY does accept undrinkable frozen human milk, as long as it was frozen prior to expiration and based on storage capacity. Human milk is amazing, can be used in various ways, and used to treat various conditions too. However, priority of human milk approval is to drinkable milk.

Human milk is great for milk baths to sooth and moisturize the skin. I'm always open to sharing with you about what you can use your undrinkable milk for it BLKBRY is unable to accept it.

The BLKBRY's milk bank was created to bridge the gap for Black families to receive donor human milk at no-cost to them. While donors can be of any race, ethnicity, or culture; the pregnant, birthing, and/or lactating parent must be Black in order to receive milk.

Must be a Black Family (with Black birthing or Black lactating parent).

Babies less than a year old, and no prescription necessary may receive milk based on availability.  Family must reside in the Puget Sound Area of Seattle. BLKBRY is working to expand to all of Washington State. 

In the event of a milk shortage, babies less than three months old or who have critical medical conditions will be served first.

If availability is low, BLKBRY may ask verification from your child’s care provider showing the medical necessity for donor milk.

Donor milk may not available for long-term use. It is meant to be used as a resource to help you transition to your permanent feeding plan. If you're a lactating parent, BLKBRY will connect you to a lactation specialist to support your lactation and feeding journey. Think of it as a bridge between your short-term needs of today and your long-term plans for tomorrow. There are instances where BLKBRY will attempt to secure milk for long-term use.

Once approved, you can pick up your frozen milk at BLKBRY in Burien, WA or schedule a drop off, if you live within 30 minutes of BLKBRY. BLKBRY does not charge, so there is no cost to you to receive donor milk.

If you live further away, please still apply. BLKBRY can coordinate with you, your support person, or hospital to get milk to you.