Our donors are healthy mothers who are in their first two years postpartum and reside in Tennessee. They have extra milk to share. Many of our donors are exclusively pumping while others are collecting additional milk while nursing.

An initial minimum of 100 ounces is required Complete phone screening interview and donor application Consent from your physician Blood test covered by MMBTN All of the milk has remained frozen since it was collected Every bottle/bag is clearly labeled with the date collected, including the year No donated milk has been frozen for longer than 8 months All the milk was collected before the baby's second birthday You must practice safe pumping, cleaning and storage guidelines

Mothers’ Milk Bank of Tennessee provides lifesaving donor milk to the most critical infants. Therefore, temporary deferral periods or a permanent donor exclusion may apply in the following situations: Unsafe pumping, cleaning and storage practices Smoking or use of tobacco products Alcohol consumption (waiting period required after drinking ANY alcohol) Use of illegal recreational drugs Use of cannabis or CBD products Use of non-approved medications, vaccines, or herbal supplements Positive serological test results for HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B or C, or syphilis Recent history of blood transfusion Risk of blood-borne illnesses Organ or tissue transplant At-risk sexual practices Questions about approved medications, alcohol consumption or any of the items listed above? Please contact Angela Plunkett.

1. Count your ounces. Make sure you have 100 oz. of frozen breastmilk that is clearly labeled with the date collected (including year). Also, please check to make sure none of your milk has been frozen no longer than 8 months and that the milk was collected before your baby's second birthday. 2. Complete the prescreening form. Please complete the prescreening form to begin the screening process only if you currently meet the general criteria and have 100 oz of breastmilk. 3. Schedule your phone screening interview. Once you complete the form below, you will be prompted to schedule your 30-minute phone screening interview. 4. Complete donor application. After your phone screening interview, you will be given a donor application to complete if you meet the criteria to proceed in the process. Obtaining your doctor's consent will be a part of the application. 5. Bloodwork. You will have a blood test covered by MMBTN.

MMBTN does not compensate milk donors. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. All milk donors are volunteers who produce milk in excess of their own babies’ needs. MMBTN covers the cost of the required blood test and the cost of shipping if you are not located near one of our Milk Drop Depots. We will also provide milk storage bags to our donors in need.

It depends on the medication. Since we serve medically fragile babies, our guidelines for medications may be stricter than guidelines provided by your physician. Before beginning the steps to become a donor, please contact Angela.Plunkett@milkbanktn.org with questions about medications.

Mother’s Milk Bank of Tennessee provides lifesaving donor milk to the most critical infants. Because our recipients are so vulnerable to infections, they need the safest possible breast milk, therefore we are extra conservative with donor milk expressing and storage guidelines. Please visit milkbanktn.org/guidelines to see a complete list of storage and cleaning guidelines.

We accept breastmilk up to six months from the date it was pumped if it has been stored in a standard refrigerator's freezer, Breastmilk stored in a deep freezer can be accepted up to eight months from the date it was pumped. All breastmilk must be pumped prior to baby's second birthday.

Pasteurized Donor Human Milk (PDHM) is prioritized for the smallest and most medically fragile babies, for whom research shows the most positive benefits from human milk. At this time, Mothers' Milk Bank of Tennessee (MMBTN) distributes PDHM exclusively to hospital neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).