General trends of breast-milk banks in technically more developed countries.

In Europe where most mothers breast feed their infants breast milk banks have been in operation since the early 1900s. In the US where only 51% of white mothers breast feed breast milk banks are a more recent phenomenon and there are no general standards for them. In 1982 the Mothers Milk Bank of San Jose California surveyed 53 breast milk banks internationally. 46% of them reported bacterial limits less than 10000 colony forming units per milliliter. Storage temperatures ranged from 0-40 degrees Celsius in Pyrex containers with repeated freezing and thawing. Storage times ranged from 8 days to indefinite. The average donor is 27.6 years old has 1.7 children starts donating 3.3 months postpartum donates for an average of 3.8 months and donates an average of 12 liters a month. Expression methods include breast shields and manual expression from the opposite breast or electric and hand pumps. 77% of the milk is donated on account of prematurity. Donors are examined continuously for infection. Most of the milk bank personnel are volunteers; most banked milk is free; and most donors as well as recipients find out about milk banks by word of mouth.