HDM is a general term for “human donated milk.” But HDM Plus™is the brand name of the milk solution Ni-Q provides to hospitals and clinics.

The primary reason for urging the use of human donated milk is centered around nutritional value. Human milk is easier for a premature baby to digest and contains essential fats that are crucial to the development of the baby’s brain and neurologic tissues. Formula is generally a processed (and sometimes fortified) form of cow’s milk. Many premature and low-birth-weight infants, whose digestive systems may not be fully formed, have a difficult time processing the proteins in cow’s milk, and may develop intestinal infections as a result.

We encourage anyone who is able to nurse to become a donor. However, for the health of you and your newborn, we encourage you to wait until after your baby is born, and nursing and healthy before you consider donating. Every nursing mom is different, and the amounts of milk you can express will vary. If your baby is healthy and nursing and you’re producing more milk than necessary, then by all means, we encourage you to become an HDM Plus™ donor.

We cannot accept any milk that has been expressed and frozen prior to your screening as a donor.

First off, thank you for choosing to donate! After we review your application, you will be contacted by a Ni-Q customer service representative with the next steps in the application process. The process is typically short, and we have to send you some items so you can begin the process of sending in your donations.

Ni-Q HDM Plus™ is available for any baby in need. From hospital to home care, we seek to ensure that all at-risk infants receive the best possible nutrition to help them grow. Typically, a hospital or pediatric care center will agree to use HDM in their facility, and then Ni-Q will provide the donated milk to them on a schedule that works for their patient population.

Our milk is provided by screened, tested, and healthy donors from all 50 states in the United States. Many nursing moms produce milk at a very rapid pace, and sometimes it’s too much for their child. So we ask those moms to consider donating to us. What’s most important is that the children of those moms get the milk they need first, but if there’s extra, it’s a wonderful act of kindness and compassion to donate additional milk – and all its nutrient rich benefits – to those in need. Unfortunately, we do not currently accept donors from outside of the U.S.

Once you fill out the application, you will be contacted to see if you meet further qualifications and can begin donating.

If you are feeling under the weather, even if it is something as simple as the common cold, flu, sinus infection, change in medication, yeast infection, etc., you must inform us of any (even seemingly minor) health changes.

All donors are required to provide blood test results every 6 months.

There are several payment options available to donating mothers. Ni-Q is committed to making this process as easy as we can for you. Once you are approved as a donor, you can select your payment method of choice.

Payment will be sent to each donor as soon as the milk is tested and confirmed to be safe.

Please see Milk Storage and Shipping Guidelines once you are approved as a donor.