B.C. milk bank urging mothers to donate breast milk

The BC Women's Hospital Provincial Milk Bank is looking to double the amount of donors it has to keep up with a growing need for breast milk.

The BC Women's Hospital Provincial Milk Bank is looking to double the amount of donors it has to keep up with a growing need for breast milk. 

The province has only one milk bank and its demand is far greater than its supply, according to Kirsten Veldman, a registered nurse and lactation consultant at BC Women’s Hospital and a milk bank screener for its Provincial Milk Bank.

“We have been able to reach and screen less than one per cent of those that have given birth in 2022, and we’d like that number to increase,” said Veldman.

There are currently 330 registered donors in B.C., but she hopes that number can grow to 660.

“We do realize that it does take some work and take some effort, but we are so grateful to our donors,” she said. “Human milk protects babies’ immune systems, and most babies who receive this milk are critically ill and the most fragile population in B.C., and we want to protect their immune system.”

There are about 13,000 ounces of milk in stock, but the bank distributes about 16,000 ounces per month.

“We will have turn people away and we don’t want to, but we do that because our milk has to be prioritized.”