The best food for a baby is almost always their parent's own milk. Sometimes, pasteurized donor human milk from a certified human milk bank may be an option for babies in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). This may be provided in hospital while parents work to build their own milk supply for their babies.
Donating to BC's human milk bank
BC has only one certified human milk bank located in Vancouver. For more information: BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank - BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA).
Human milk donations are always needed. Interested in becoming a human milk donor? Review the screening criteria, collect and store your milk, and contact BC Women's Milk Bank to start the screening process. Call 1-604-875-3743, email mbscreening@cw.bc.ca, or fill in the Donor expression of interest form.
Northern Health has one milk collection depot located at the University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George, in the NICU (250-565-2328). Approved donors can drop off their milk here or send it with family or friends traveling to Prince George. They can also make arrangements with Northern Health Connections to ship their milk by bus, at no cost.
Informal (peer-to-peer) milk sharing (unpasteurized donor human milk)
Pasteurized donor human milk is not easily available in Northern BC. Some parents may be interested in providing their infants unpasteurized donor human milk obtained from family, friends, or other sources (e.g., online). This is referred to as informal milk sharing, and may involve peer-to-peer sharing or the purchasing of unpasteurized donor human milk from strangers.
Informal milk sharing may carry risks. Learn more to make an informed decision: Information for families: Informal (peer-to-peer) human milk sharing (PDF) - Perinatal Services BC.
Featured resources
- BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank - BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre
- Donating milk in BC (including UHNBC) - BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre
- How to collect and store mother's milk for donation - BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre
- Milk bank videos - BC Women's Hospital + Health Centre
Featured NH Stories
- Got milk: Northern moms donate to human milk bank for babies in need
- Got milk? Vulnerable Northern babies receive donor milk from provincial human milk bank
- Human milk donation: Liquid Goldie’s big adventure
- Human milk banking: Getting breast milk to the babies that need it most
- Milk on the move: Northern Health Connections bus transports donor milk for fragile babies
For more information
- Contact BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank by phone at 1-604-875-3743 or email at mbscreening@cw.bc.ca
- Approved donors can call the University Hospital of Northern British Columbia NICU Milk Depot at 250-565-2328 to arrange for milk drop-off
- University Hospital of Northern British Columbia
1475 Edmonton Street, Prince George
Pay parking available on site
Email: Breastfeeding@northernhealth.ca