An Organization for Supplying Human Milk

Milk Banking: The Influence of Storage Procedures and Subsequent Processing on Immunologic Components of uman Milk

“…Talbot and others abandoned efforts to maintain a registry of acceptable wet nurses (Talbot, 1928). A system was developed to collect milk from lactating women in nursing bottles which were picked up daily by public health nurses.…”

History of North American Donor Milk Banking: One Hundred Years of Progress

“…The average amount of donor milk expressed daily ranged from 15 to 72 oz, and 40 donors were kept on a list. 9 Current North American banks have more than 100 donors annually, each with daily collections per donor ranging from approximately 4 to 10 oz.…”

“…Milk was picked up from donors' homes daily, and in the 1920s, the Boston Floating Hospital staff carried ice to keep the milk chilled or dropped it off at a "convenient drug store" 10 as they made their rounds. 5,9 The Detroit Women's Hospital and Infant's Home, which collected and distributed 23,000 oz over a 6-month period in 1917, arranged for young unmarried women to stay at the hospital and express extra milk. This milk was fed to babies whose hospitalized mothers had insufficient milk.…”

“…In the early years, the Boston bank paid an average monthly wage per mother of $28.00, with the cost of donor milk to American recipients varying from $0.10 to $0.30 per ounce. 9,10 In the 1930s, Canadian donors were paid $.05 an ounce. 5 Donor payment gradually disappeared in response to the public's perception that babies were being denied their own mother's milk in order for the milk to be sold and that the donor milk was being altered to increase volume.…”

“…In addition, the individual donor's milk was examined "chemically and bacteriologically for dilution of impurities once a month and the pooled milk once a week." 9 Current screening procedures are more detailed, multileveled, and use improved laboratory testing. However, the process deals with the same basic issues of mother/infant health, lifestyle choices, physician contact, and testing of blood and milk.…”