I can't speak for the other milk banks because I am not intimately
acquainted with all the HMBANA regs.  I do know the general policies of the
Austin milk bank. We keep careful records of all donors, including whose
milk is pooled in each batch that is processed.  Due to differences between
mothers and between milk pumped even from the SAME mother on diff. days and
at diff. times, there is variability in milk composition .  This affects (to
name just one variable) caloric value.  If the mothers are pumping for
differing aged babies, there will also be variability in things like
protein.  So the pooling is an attempt to get a homogenous "product".  The
whole reason we purchased a Milk-o-scan machine and spent a year calibrating
it for reading human milk values is to try to verify that we are putting out
consistent, predictable batches.  But we definitely know whose milk is in
each batch.  This is impt. because each batch is bacteriologically tested
prior to dispensing to the NICUs who order it.  If one of the mothers is
harboring a bacteria that contaminates a batch, we want to know that and
pull her milk.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BS, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates
LactNews Press
www.lactnews.com

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