The use of human donor milk

Infant feeding guidelines emphasize that breast milk is the best nutrition for infants. Some infants do not have access to their biological mother’s milk for a range of reasons; when a mother’s own milk is unavailable for preterm or low birthweight infants, WHO and UNICEF recommend pasteurized human milk from a human milk bank as the first alternative to feed low birthweight and preterm infants. This article, created with guidelines, expert advice, and patient stories, explains human milk banks in-depth, exploring the rationale for their use, contraindications, directions for use, and how donor milk can support breastfeeding.