FOLLOW THE MILK
See how we ensure that donated breast milk is safe for even the tiniest, sickest babies.
Step One: COLLECT (Donor Recruitment & Screening)
Donated breast milk from an individual donor is collected and sent into our database until selected for processing.
Step Two: THAWING
Milk is slowly thawed overnight in refrigerators until it reaches a cold liquid state we can work with in our lab.
Step Three: POUR
We pour milk from their original storage containers into large flasks, and use an agitation method to uniformly combine milk from 2-5 donors. The unofficial term for these new “pools” of combined milk is target pooled milk – specially formatted to meet the nutritional and immunity needs of the tiny and sick babies who will drink it.
Step Four: TEST
Each donor’s deposit of milk is tested before mixed into the targeted pools. We need to know what bacteria are in the milk before we pasteurize.
Step Five: BOTTLE
Milk’s poured into our custom 3 or 1.5 ounce bottles with a custom-designed machine that puts just the right number of drops into each bottle.
Step Six: PASTEURIZE
We heat each bottle of milk to 62.5 °C for 30 minutes in a process called Holder Pasteurization, then quickly cool the milk in ice baths. This 2-part process kills viruses and bacteria that could be harmful to fragile babies, while retaining most of the milk’s good components.
Step Seven: TEST AGAIN
Another sample from each batch of pasteurized milk is sent out to the 3rd party lab for evidence that all harmful bacteria and viruses were successfully removed.
Step Eight: Freeze & Storage
All the little bottles of
life-saving milk are labeled and stored in our walk-in freezers until they’re called to duty.
Step Nine: DISPENSING
We get calls all day long from hospitals and families, ordering milk for the babies in their care. Thanks to the amazing gift of milk from our donors, we’re able to customize each order, sending milk with the right amount of nutrients for each baby.
