What help will I be given to start donating milk?

Information for the public

Before you start donating, you should be given advice and practical help by milk bank staff. This should be given in person if possible, but you should also receive additional information by telephone and in writing. Milk bank staff should arrange with you the most convenient time and place to show you everything you need to know about donating and how your milk should be stored.

Your training should include advice about your diet and your alcohol consumption. It should also cover how to:

wash your hands thoroughly and why this is important
express and collect your breast milk, including how to clean and use any breast pumps and milk containers you are using
label milk for donation with your name and date of expression
store your milk and record how it has been stored
transport your milk to the milk bank (if this has been agreed with you).

After helping you to start donating, milk bank staff should give you as much one-to-one support as you need while you are donating milk. This should include practical help in collecting your milk and advice about dealing with changes in your supply, and also emotional support if you need it.

Once you are donating, if your milk is regularly found to have microorganisms (such as bacteria) above a certain level, milk bank staff should offer you advice and support to help you reduce accidental contamination when collecting your milk.