Our Milk Bank Hours of Operation

  • Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Weekend collections are available but dates and times vary. Please contact the Milk Bank at (757) 668-6455 for details.

Importance of Breast Milk

Breast milk is the best nutrition for all babies and can be a life-saving treatment for those who are extremely premature or critically ill. Breast milk significantly decreases the odds of life-threatening complications and infections in premature infants during the first months of life. 

Need for a Milk Bank

Since many factors can prevent mothers of preterm or critically ill infants from being able to provide a sufficient supply of their own milk, CHKD has established The King’s Daughters Milk Bank to ensure that breast milk is available to the hospital’s most fragile babies. 

  • Each year, preterm birth affects nearly 500,000 babies — that’s one of every eight babies born in the United States (www.cdc.gov).
  • The risk of premature or sick babies developing devastating and potentially life threatening intestinal infections is 10 times higher if they are fed formula instead of human milk.
  • Human milk protects against allergies and contains antibodies to fight disease and growth hormones that help babies develop.
  • Many factors can prevent mothers of preterm or critically ill infants from providing an adequate supply of their own breast milk.
  • Donor human milk is easily digested and provides infection-fighting benefits and optimal nutrition in the absence of mother’s own milk. 

Our Safety Standards

Operating under the guidelines of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), The King’s Daughters Milk Bank is able to ensure the safety of donated milk by careful screening, laboratory testing and pasteurization techniques. The donor human milk is ready to be dispensed only after a final laboratory testing shows no bacterial growth which further ensures its safety. The milk can then be distributed to the babies who need it most.  

The milk bank is made possible through the financial support of The King’s Daughters organization and the generosity of our milk donors.

If you, or someone you know, is interested in 'sharing the health' by becoming a donor, please call 757-668-MILK (6455), or email to KDmilkbank@chkd.org to begin the screening process.