Human milk banking in North America

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of milk banks? They are special places where mommies and daddies can donate their milk to help other babies who need it.

Sometimes, moms who give birth early or have trouble making enough milk for their own babies might need extra milk to help their little ones grow big and strong. That's where milk banking comes in!

In North America, there are lots of milk banks that collect, pasteurize, and distribute human milk to babies in the hospital or at home. This milk is donated by other moms who have extra milk that they don't need.

When a mommy wants to donate her milk, she has to go through a screening process to make sure she is healthy and that her milk is safe to give to other babies. The milk is then collected and sent to a special lab where it is pasteurized, or heated up to kill any germs that might be in the milk.

Once the milk has been pasteurized, it is stored in special bottles or bags and sent to hospitals or families who need it. Sometimes, babies who are sick or premature might need special milk that has extra nutrients to help them grow faster. The milk bank can make sure that these babies get the specific milk they need to thrive!

So, milk banking is a way for mommies and daddies to help other babies who might be in need of a little extra love and care. And it's all thanks to the generous donations of milk from other moms and the hard work of the people who run the milk banks!