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Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina

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Location Information

Mother's Milk Bank of South Carolina

Address
7771 Palmetto Commerce Parkway
North Charleston, SC 29420
Get Directions
Hours
Specialties
  • Women's Health
Contact
call(843) 792-5415 View Details

Find a Depot Site Near You

Summerville Medical Center Depot Site

Address
295 Midland Pkwy
Summerville, SC 29485
Get Directions
Specialties
  • Women's Health
Contact
call(843) 970-5270 View Location Details

Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital Depot Site

Address
4070 Hwy 17 Bypass S
Murrells Inlet, SC 29576
Get Directions
Hours
Specialties
  • Women's Health
Contact
call(843) 652-1216 View Location Details

MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital Depot Site

Address
MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital
10 McClennan Banks Drive
Charleston, SC 29425
Get Directions
Specialties
  • Women's Health
Contact
call(843) 985-2430 View Location Details
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South Carolina Milk, for South Carolina Babies

Our Mission

Promoting the health of South Carolina babies by providing access to safe, pasteurized donor human milk.

About the Program

With support from the South Carolina Neonatal Consortium and the South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative, the Medical University of South Carolina has developed the first donor human milk bank in the state.

SC breastfeeding mothers with surplus milk supply are invited to become Mother's Milk Bank of South Carolina (MMBSC) milk donors to provide pasteurized milk to SC infants for whom mother's milk supply is limited. The milk bank initially will provide milk to all SC hospitalized very low birth weight infants.

The MMBSC is an accredited milk bank by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

Meet Our Team

Latoya Campbell

Technician, Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina

Alison Chapman, M.D.

Medical Director, Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina
Associate Professor, Pediatrics, College of Medicine
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Mary Kay Colliton, NNP-BC, MSN, APRN

Director, Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina
View Provider Profile open_in_new

Lea Mull

Program Manager, Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina

Linsey Newcomb

Donor Coordinator, Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina

Ragine Robinson

Milk Bank Technician

Wrenn Tiernan

Lab Manager, Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina

Become a Donor

You are likely to qualify as a donor if:

  • You are generally healthy
  • You do not take medications or herbal supplements on a regular basis (with exceptions)
  • You do not smoke
  • You are willing to undergo a blood test
  • You are able to arrange for transportation of your milk to a depot (drop-off site)
  • If your milk could be delivered to a baby within one year of pump date

You are not eligible to donate milk if:

  • You have a positive blood test result for HIV, HTLV, Hepatitis B or C, or Syphilis
  • You or your sexual partner is at risk for HIV
  • You use illegal drugs
  • You smoke or use tobacco products including nicotine patches or nicotine gum
  • You have received an organ transplant, tissue transplant, or a blood transfusion in the last three months
  • You regularly consume more than two alcoholic drinks per day

Four Easy Steps to Becoming a Milk Donor

  1. Complete the "Get Involved" online form below.
  2. Complete a 20 to 25 minute phone screening.
  3. Complete and return an informational packet; this will include a form for your provider to fill out and return to MMBSC
  4. Have a complimentary blood test done at LabCorp*.

*Be sure to do the phone screening before you go for the test. 

Get Involved

Milk Storage

  • It is best practice to store breast milk in individual breast milk containers. If you choose to pool your milk over a 24-hour period, store pumped milk in a food grade safe glass container. Ensure freshly pumped warm milk is cooled before combining with refrigerated milk.
  • Store milk in freezer until you are ready to donate.
  • The best practice is if your donation reaches the Milk Bank freezers by three months after the earliest date of pumping (if milk is stored in a deep freezer within six months is fine). If you have milk older than three months, please contact the milk bank to discuss whether you should donate this milk.
  • Remember to refrigerate or freeze your milk within 30 minutes of pumping.
  • You may refrigerate your milk for up to 96 hours before freezing.
  • Check freezer temperatures regularly.
  • Milk must be pumped within the first year postpartum.
  • Do not scald milk that you plan to donate.

Need more milk storage bags? Contact us at scmilkbank@musc.edu or 843-792-5415

Milk Collection

We are only able to accept milk for donation that is stored in single-use bags or bottles.

  • Always wash your hands before expressing or handling your milk
  • All pump parts that come into contact with skin should be removed and cleaned on a regular basis
  • Milk should be refrigerated within 30 minutes of pumping
  • Milk can be kept in the refrigerator no more than 96 hours before being frozen. You can add expressed milk into the same bag throughout the day, as long as the bag is consistently refrigerated and then frozen within 24 hoursWait a minimum of six hours (for one drink) and 12 hours (for more than one drink) before pumping if you consumed an alcoholic beverage

Labeling the Milk

All bags should be labeled with the following:

Donor ID Number
Last Name
Pump Date

Pumping Powerful Milk

As you breastfeed and the breast empties, the milk goes from being thin, lower-calorie 'foremilk' to thick, higher-calorie 'hindmilk'. Although foremilk is thin, it contains critical antibodies. The hindmilk is calorie-rich and is incredibly beneficial for low birth weight babies to gain weight! Please be sure to include foremilk and hindmilk so the babies receiving the milk can grow.

Dropping Off Your Milk

To find a depot site near you, please contact us a scmilkbank@musc.edu or 843-792-5415.

Donor Screening

Getting Your Blood Test

In order to provide the safest milk possible for preterm and critically ill babies, we require all donor moms to complete a blood test to screen for harmful viruses. The Mother's Milk Bank of South Carolina will cover the cost of these tests. All tests will be completed at LabCorp.

The lab will test for:

  • HIV I and II
  • RPR (syphilis)
  • HTLV I and II (Human T-Lymphotrophic Virus)
  • Hepatitis B (HbsAg)
  • Hepatitis C (HCV)

Before taking the blood test, please be sure to complete your initial phone screening and obtain your Donor ID number.

Find your nearest LabCorp: https://www.labcorp.com/wps/portal/findalab

Getting Your Blood Test

In order to complete your file and be approved for donation, we will need your completed informational packet, lab work, and health forms from your healthcare provider. The approval process can take anywhere from one to four weeks.

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