Donor milk

Donor milk is human breastmilk that is expressed and given to a milk bank or to another family. It’s used when a baby needs extra breastmilk—whether in hospital or at home.

In Australia, hospitals with milk banks may offer donor breastmilk to premature or very sick babies. Some parents also find donor milk informally, often through online milk-sharing groups.

When can donor milk help?

Hospitals that have donor milk programs will offer donor milk to premature or very sick babies when there is not enough of their own mother's milk available.

Families may also choose donor milk in other situations. Some parents need extra milk for babies of any age, while others seek donor milk for babies who are adopted, fostered or born through surrogacy. Sometimes, a non-birthing parent may wish to feed their baby breastmilk. These families will need to source donor milk informally.

Is donor milk safe?

Milk banks test and pasteurise donated breastmilk to make sure it’s safe for babies. Donors are screened to make sure they don’t have any medical conditions or lifestyle factors that could affect their milk.

If you’re sourcing donor milk privately, be aware of the risks. Privately shared milk isn’t screened or pasteurised. Make sure you understand these risks and how to reduce them.

Can I donate breastmilk?

You can donate if you meet your chosen milk bank’s requirements. Your milk supply needs to be well established, and you’ll need to follow specific guidelines for expressing, freezing, and transporting milk.

Milk banks operate in several states and they each have their own procedures for screening and donating. Check the relevant website for more details:

Australian Red Cross Lifeblood Milk Banks (metro Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide)
Perron Rotary Express Milk (PREM) Bank (Western Australia)
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (New South Wales)

Private milk sharing

ABA doesn’t facilitate private milk sharing but provides links to organisations that do. We provide these links for your convenience and this does not mean ABA endorses these groups or their practices.

Eats on Feets - A global network of milk sharing communities made up of parents, carers and professionals who support informed milk sharing.
Human Milk 4 Human Babies (HM4HB) - An international organisation with social media sites across Australia:

South Australia
Victoria
Queensland
Western Australia
New South Wales
Tasmania
Australian Capital Territory
Northern Territory

ABA supports your decisions

ABA is committed to supporting you to breastfeed your baby, and aims to provide information to enable this. If breastfeeding isn’t possible for you, we support you to make informed choices about other available options.