My name is Brittany, currently a junior in the nursing program at the University 
of North Dakota.  I have been looking through the archives and have found a 
topic of discussion that has sparked my interest; breast milk banking.  We 
have always learned that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for 
newborns and infants, so I feel milk banking is a wonderful concept.  However, 
there are a few areas about the process I am curious about.
	Does the milk stay preserved with the natural immunoglobulins and 
other essential components?  Research by Tully and Jones, (2001) showed 
that the use of Holder pasteurization, which is now required by HMBANA, 
destroys the B and T cell components of breast milk.  The research also 
stated that pasteurization reduced the immunoglobulin concentration by 20-
30% and decreased the lactoferrin iron-binding capacity up to 60%.  Another 
article I found stated that while many changes have been implemented to 
preserve the composition of breast milk, the use of repeated heating does 
cause a change in fat, protein and carbohydrates. The article stated that the 
current method of preserving breast milk involves freezing it at –20 degrees 
Celsius and that unprocessed milk is distributed only with a physician’s order 
(Jones, 2003).  How much does banked breast milk composition differ from the 
milk when a baby directly nurses and how long is the milk kept at the banks 
before it becomes unsafe to distribute?
	Tully, (2000) reports that the demand is becoming greater than the 
supply and while banked breast milk is mainly used in low birth weight infants, 
it is also being used for older children with or without any medical conditions 
and even for adult cancer patients.  How do donor banks decide who is to 
receive the milk when supply is low? If you have any comments or ideas I 
would love to hear them.


References


Jones, Frances RN, MSN, IBCLC. (2003). History of North American Donor Milk 
Banking: One Hundred Years of Progress. Journal of Human Lactation. Vol. 19, 
No. 3

Jones, Frances, Tully, Douglas, & Tully, Mary Rose. (2001). Donor Milk: What’s 
in it and What’s Not. Journal of Human Lactation. Vol.17, No. 2

Tully, Mary Rose, MPH, IBCLC. (2000). A Year of Remarkable Growth for Donor 
Milk Banking in North America. Journal of Human Lactation. Vol. 16, No. 3
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