Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kootenai Health receive specialized and attentive care.
While a mother’s milk is the best and preferred feeding option for infants, there are times when a baby is unable to receive milk from their mother and we need to supplement with donor human milk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the use of human milk for all preterm infants. It supplies nutrients and helps protect against allergies, sickness, and infections.
Kootenai Health receives all donor human milk products for the NICU from our vendor Prolacta Bioscience. Our vendor partner ensures donor milk is standardized to meet a minimum of 20 calories per fluid ounce and is screened for HIV 1 and 2, HTLV I and II, HBV, HCV and syphilis. Additionally, every ounce donated is DNA matched to the mother and tested for drugs and contamination prior to processing. If you have a child in the NICU and have questions about donor milk, please discuss with your care team.
If you are interested in becoming a breast milk donor, please view more information by clicking on the links below.
Information on the milk banking process
Milk banks:
Donors are able to donate from the comfort of their own home using specially designed shipping containers.
Please note: We do not accept breast milk donations at our facility.
