Northwest Mothers Milk Bank

NWMMB prioritizes serving premature and ill infants in both hospital and outpatient settings. There are instances when a birthing parent may not be able to provide human milk for their baby at the time they need it the most. One in eight infants in the Pacific Northwest is born premature. Prematurity puts an infant at risk for life-threatening infections, prolonged hospital admission, and lifelong disabilities. Evidence-based research shows the use of human donor milk from an accredited milk bank should be the standard of care for supplementation of hospitalized premature and ill newborns, particularly those in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). In 2022, NWMMB dispensed 582,603 ounces of pasteurized human milk to babies in need.

Breastfeeding rates in the Pacific Northwest are among the highest in the nation. Health care professionals and families know the benefits of human milk. NWMMB screens potential milk donors; healthy, non-smoking parents with milk in excess of their own infants needs. Milk donors wish to make a difference in the life of another infant and do not receive compensation for their generous donations. Donors undergo thorough health screening and serologic testing in order to donate their extra milk. Recruitment of milk donors is ongoing. In 2022,NWMMB collected over 777,024 oz of donated milk from 1,129 milk donors.