Care and Use of Supplements Obtained at MilkWorks

Banked Donor Milk

Note: MilkWorks obtains our banked donor milk from the Mothers Milk Bank in Arvada, Colorado, a member of the Human Milk Bank Association of North America. We use this milk in consults and we make limited amounts of banked milk available for parents to purchase.   If you are interested in purchasing additional banked milk, please contact (303) 869-1888 or visit: www.milkbankcolorado.org. For guidance on donating milk, see our information on Milk Collection and Outreach Centers and Milk Banks.

• Place the container of frozen milk in the back or bottom of a freezer, not on a shelf on the door of the freezer. You may notice that the frozen milk has separated into layers. This is normal.
• To defrost:

1. It is recommended that you defrost the milk in the refrigerator as this keeps the milk cold during thawing. It may take 24 hours to completely defrost. You may pour off small quantities as it defrosts. Once the milk is defrosted with no ice chunks remaining, please use within 48 hours.
2. For quick defrosting, hold the bottle of frozen milk under cool, running tap water. Or place the bottle in a container of warm (not hot) water. Keep the water level below the edge of the cap. Gently swirl the bottle occasionally. Thaw long enough so that milk can be poured off, but is still cold. Avoid immersing in hot water as this may cause the glass container to break.

• Pour the milk you need into a clean feeding container. Re-cap the container of unused milk and put it back into the refrigerator. This milk should be used with 48 hours once completely defrosted.
• If you want to warm the milk before feeding it to your baby, you may:

1. Place the feeding bottle with the banked milk into a clean bowl of warm water. Keep the neck of the bottle about the water level, or
2. Hold the bottle under warm running tap water until milk is heated to the desired temperature.
3. Gently swirl the milk to mix the milk layers before feeding to your baby. Do not heat warmer than skin temperature. Do not microwave the milk to defrost or warm.

• Milk that has been thawed should be discarded if it has been at room temperature for longer than one hour. Milk in a feeding bottle that was not finished at one feeding may be returned to the refrigerator and used for the next feeding only. Do not add to a “new” bottle of thawed milk.

Ready-to-Feed Hydrolyzed Protein Formula

• Wash hands well before handling the formula.
• Shake the container of formula well and pour into a clean feeding bottle.
• Cover and return the remaining formula to the refrigerator. Use within 48 hours. Formula should be kept cold until you are ready to feed it to your baby.
• You may warm a bottle of formula by placing it in a pan of warm water. Do not microwave.
• Any formula remaining in a feeding bottle and not used within one hour should be discarded.

May 2017