Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank
Providing vulnerable babies with safe, screened and pasteurised milk.
Make a financial donation
As the only Breastmilk Bank in Victoria, the Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank provides vulnerable infants with access to safe, screened and Pasteurised Donor Milk (PDM).
Each year at the Mercy Hospital for Women we care for hundreds of babies and their mothers for whom breastfeeding has been interrupted for a range of reasons. This could be because of a maternal illness, during pregnancy, premature birth or the unexpected, severe illness of a baby born at full term. For the mothers of these babies, establishing normal lactation is extremely challenging, even with the assistance of our skilled midwives and lactation consultants.
Breastmilk provides all the nutrients a growing infant needs and, because of its protective effects, is universally regarded as a key aspect of infant survival.
Access to breastmilk, which is both immunologically and nutritionally rich, is especially important for vulnerable newborn babies, such as those born preterm. Hence the World Health Organisation (WHO)(1) recommends exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of life.
1. World Health Organisation/UNICEF, 2003, Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, Geneva, accessed April 30, 2017
Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding3200 litres of breastmilk provided by donor mothers to Breastmilk Bank from 2011 to 2018
Providing safe breastmilk to this vulnerable population is our priority.
Medical research has demonstrated that providing very preterm babies with Pasteurised Donor Milk, instead of manufactured formula, reduces the risk of some complications associated with feeding.
The Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank collects, processes and stores human milk that is donated by healthy breastfeeding mothers who are producing milk in excess of their infant’s needs and have undergone specific health and lifestyle screening.
Contacts
Express your interest in becoming a breastmilk donor
Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank
- Phone numbers:
Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank
03 8458 4477
We are available Monday to Friday, 8am–4pm. - Email address: milkbank@mercy.com.au
- About:
Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a breastmilk donor.
If we are unable to answer the phone, please leave a voicemail with your contact details, or send us an email and we will respond within 24 hours.
How does the Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank work?
The Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank collects, processes and stores human milk that is donated by healthy breastfeeding mothers producing milk in excess of their baby’s needs.
How to donate milk for the Breastmilk Bank
Thank you for considering donating your breastmilk to the Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank. This is a chance for you to be part of our mission to help vulnerable, premature and/or sick babies in Victoria.
How to provide financial support for the Breastmilk Bank
The Mercy Health Foundation, with the generosity of philanthropic donors, supported the establishment of the Mercy Health Breastmilk Bank.
This advertisement has been approved by the Victorian Minister for Health under section 40 of the Human Tissue Act 1982.