How to Donate Your Extra Breast Milk in Chattanooga, TN.
Donating your breast milk is literally lifesaving. As a lactation consultant in Chattanooga who has worked closely with NICU families, I’ve seen firsthand how donated milk can change outcomes for the tiniest and most vulnerable infants.
Your breast milk truly makes a difference. The milk you donate directly supports families in our Chattanooga community, providing vital nutrition in NICUs and postpartum units when mothers are unable to provide their own milk or don’t have enough.
Why Donor Breast Milk Matters
Human milk is uniquely designed to support infant growth and immunity. For medically fragile babies, donor milk is not just beneficial - it can be critical for survival.
Research shows that donor breast milk can:
Reduce the risk of NEC (a life-threatening intestinal disease)
Support a healthier gut microbiome
Improve feeding tolerance and digestion
Shorten NICU stays
Who Can Donate Breast Milk?
Initial donation requirement is 100 ounces. Milk must be less than 8 months old, collected before your baby’s 2nd birthday, and kept frozen since collection, with each bag clearly labeled with the date and year.
If you meet this criteria, you can fill out the prescreening form on the Tennessee Milk Bank website to start the process. Screening helps ensure donated milk is safe and eligible for hospital use.
Screening steps include:
A brief phone interview
A donor application
OB Consent (to verify your medical history)
Routine bloodwork (paid for by the milk bank)
Where to Donate Breast Milk in Chattanooga, TN
Once approved as a donor, you can schedule a milk drop-off at one of our local milk depots in Chattanooga, including:
Erlanger East
Erlanger Downtown
LifeCircle Lactation Clinic (Cleveland, TN)
These depots store frozen milk and ship it to the Tennessee Milk Bank, where it is tested, pasteurized, bottled, and then distributed to NICUs and postpartum units across Tennessee.
Go to www.milkbanktn.org to start the donation process.
Thank you for supporting families in our community!