Mercy San Juan Donor Breast Milk Program

Mercy San Juan Medical Center is proud to have the first and only neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the region to offer an exclusive human donor milk diet for premature babies. 

Mercy San Juan’s Family Birth Center has had a long history of feeding donor breast milk to premature babies in the NICU. Now, through their partnership with Prolacta Bioscience, Mercy San Juan will use standardized donor milk, as well as human milk based fortification, that has a precise amount of calories and protein, enabling targeted nutrition to help ensure appropriate growth of our smallest patients. The program is also an easy and safe outlet for mothers to donate their excess breast milk. 

When Will Donor Milk Be Used?

If you have a premature baby and are unable to provide the volume of breast milk required to feed your baby, your medical care team may suggest feeding donor milk. Donor milk, like your own milk, is  easier for your baby to digest compared to formula. Human milk also avoids exposing your baby’s immature intestinal lining to the cow’s milk proteins found in premature infant formulas. Premature babies who are fed human milk are less likely to develop a serious intestinal complication called necrotizing enterocolitis, than are babies who are formula-fed. If you choose to allow your baby to receive donor milk, your health care team will only use it when your milk is not available. Your milk will always be the first choice.

Is Donor Milk Safe?

  • Mercy San Juan Medical Center’s donor milk provider is Prolacta Bioscience. Prolacta leads the human milk industry in manufacturing, quality and safety.
  • Milk donors are qualified using strict standards. Donors are healthy mothers with doctor approval to donate.
  • Donors are screened for viruses and infectious agents such as HIV 1 & 2, Hepatitis B & C, HTLV I & II, and syphilis.
  • All milk donations are DNA matched to the qualified donor.
  • Prolacta is the only provider in the industry to screen all donor milk for illicit drugs and nicotine.
  • Prolact HM® is ready-to-feed, pasteurized 100% donor human milk, which can be used when mother’s milk is unavailable.

To learn how to become a donor, visit prolacta.com or call 888-PROLACT (888) 776-5228.