Reviewed by The Mom Store editorial team, October 2026. See our editorial policy.
Breast milk donation means a healthy breastfeeding mother gives her extra expressed milk to a human milk bank. The bank screens the donor, pasteurises and tests the milk, and gives it to babies whose own mother's milk is not available or not enough, mostly preterm and sick newborns in neonatal units. In India's public health system these banks run inside hospitals, and donors are not paid.
Which babies receive donor milk
A mother's own milk always comes first. Donor milk is the next choice when that milk is not available or not sufficient. The World Health Organization's standards for donor human milk banking say donor milk is recommended for preterm and low birthweight babies when their mother's own milk is unavailable or insufficient, and describe it as important for their survival, growth and development.
The Indian National Guidelines on Lactation Management Centres in Public Health Facilities (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 2017) set the same order. Donor milk is mainly for sick, preterm, low birth weight or feed intolerant babies admitted to a neonatal unit, and is given on the treating doctor's prescription. When supplies allow, some babies under six months may also receive it, for example after adoption or when the mother is ill.
So if your baby is in a neonatal unit and you are struggling to express enough, ask the team whether donor milk is available. If you are at home and worried about your supply, the first step is breastfeeding support, not donor milk.
Who can donate
Under the national guidelines, donors are breastfeeding mothers who are in good health and have milk to spare after feeding their own baby. The milk bank takes a health history and examines you. You may not be able to donate if you:
- have had a blood transfusion or an organ or tissue transplant in the past 12 months
- smoke or use any tobacco or nicotine, or drink alcohol daily
- have a history of hepatitis B, HIV, active TB or another chronic infection
- take certain medicines (the bank will check which)
An acute infection, or a cough lasting more than two weeks, can stop you donating for a while. Donors are tested for HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis unless antenatal reports from the last six months are available, and the bank must see the actual reports.
What happens to donated milk
The guidelines describe Holder pasteurisation: the milk is heated to 62.5°C for 30 minutes and then cooled quickly, and it is tested for bacteria before and after. Donors receive no payment, and donor milk cannot be used for any commercial purpose.
The guidelines describe two kinds of hospital facility. A Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre collects, screens, pasteurises, stores and gives out donor milk, and is being set up first in medical colleges and then district hospitals. A Lactation Management Unit only stores a mother's own milk for her own baby in the neonatal unit.
How to donate or find a milk bank
Ask your obstetrician, paediatrician or the neonatal unit of a nearby medical college or large hospital whether it has a human milk bank or Comprehensive Lactation Management Centre. The staff will explain screening, how to express and store milk at home or at the centre, and how often to bring it in.
Donating should never come at the cost of your own baby's feeds. Give only what is left after your baby is fed.
Do not use informally shared milk
Milk offered by a friend, on social media or for sale online has not been screened or pasteurised. The US Food and Drug Administration, in its guidance on donor human milk, recommends against feeding a baby breast milk obtained directly from individuals or through the internet, because it can carry infections such as HIV and hepatitis B and C, traces of drugs or medicines, or bacteria from poor handling. It advises making any decision to use milk from another source with your baby's doctor.
The same caution applies in Indian families, where a relative or neighbour may kindly offer to feed your baby. Talk to your paediatrician first, and use donor milk only from a hospital milk bank.
This article is general information and does not replace advice from your doctor.
