Direct contact between donor and recipient is an important aspect of safe milksharing. No one but a donor or a parent/legal guardian/medical provider can assume responsibility for a child and make informed decisions about the milksharing processes. Direct contact between donor and recipient allows for proper screening and is a layer of safety when it comes to human milksharing via private arrangement. For donors, knowing how their milk and personal information will be used and by whom is important as well.

The only way to safeguard the facilitating of these processes on our network is with transparency and therefore we cannot accommodate offers and requests made by third parties who are not legal or medical representatives.

To support the full informed choice process and self-determination of all families practicing private arrangement milksharing, for the safety of babies, and for network transparency, we only accept offers and requests from legally or medically responsible parties.

Eats on Feets

Legal and medical representatives are a parent(s) of the child, someone with custody, legal guardianship, or power of attorney, a foster parent, donors donating their own milk, midwives, and anyone legally allowed to prescribe medication, including the nurse practitioner. 

Siblings, children, grandparents, friends, aunts, sister-/brother-in-law, etcetera, are not legally nor clinically responsible parties. IBCLCs, nurses, and doulas are also not clinically responsible parties and they cannot request milk for their clients.

For screening suggestions, see Questions for addressing recipients and Questions for addressing donors.

_______________