What is Northwest Mothers Milk Bank?
Northwest Mothers Milk Bank (NWMMB) is a nonprofit human milk bank providing pasteurized donor milk to newborns who need it the most. They collect, process, test and provide donor breast milk to babies in over 50 hospitals across 4 states.
St. Peter's Health became the first human milk donation collection site in Montana in 2024 through a partnership with NWMMB.
Making a Donation
Making a donation to the Northwest Mothers Milk Bank through St. Peter's Health is a simple 4-step process:
- Short phone interview
- Health history forms
- Blood work (at no cost to participant) at a local lab
Upon approval, drop off frozen milk* at the Women and Children's Unit on the fourth floor of the St. Peter's Health Regional Medical Center
*All milk donations are required to have an Illness, Medication, and Travel Form. Click here for the Spanish version.
Who Receives Donor Breast Milk?
Donated milk benefits infants at St. Peter's Health who are born premature, are in the special care nursery, whose mothers are unable to breastfeed due to surgery or illness and who are learning to breastfeed. Safe, pasteurized donor breast milk is the best alternative to an infant's mother's milk.
You may want to do everything you can to stop milk production as quickly as possible; you may wish to pump and donate your expressed milk to a milk bank instead. As with all aspects of grieving, there is no right or wrong answer about what to do. If you wish to donate your milk or access related resources and options, click here. If you would like to access pregnancy or infant loss bereavement resources, click here.
