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Why Breast Milk Sharing Is Booming Online
Filed under: Babies, In The News, Breast-Feeding
Despite a widespread push to breast-feed, the FDA warns against sharing unregulated breast milk. Credit: Getty
Specifically, they warn against sharing unregulated breast milk, citing the obvious dangers of infectious diseases, illegal drugs and prescription drugs being passed on to the baby. It's unlikely that the donor has been screened for such. In addition, there are potential storage and handling issues.
Given that millions of healthy babies drink formula (a complete, proven source of infant nutrition), it's safe to say that any potential ill effects from the breast milk substitute are negligible. That said, it's hard to imagine today's safety-obsessed moms feeding their children another woman's milk without comprehensive knowledge of where it came from. Hard to imagine, that is, until you consider how women who can't breast-feed must feel when they log on to an all-knowing parenting website or engage in playground conversation with those who consider breast-feeding an indisputable mommy must.
Then there's the concerted effort by several organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization to push the "breast is best" concept. In fact, WHO actually recommends "raw" donor milk
"If you make a choice to formula feed out of convenience, then you do not deserve to have kids!" said one poster.
"Every baby deserves human milk," said another.
Needless to say, new moms are feeling squeezed.
"If we formula feed, we feel we are giving our amazing children 'second best' or handicapping them for life," said one mother who admitted to sobbing in the shower from shame and guilt when she gave up breast-feeding.
Has the breast milk brigade of pushy peers, organization endorsements and calculated campaigns gone too far when a mother feels like unscreened milk is her only option to raise a healthy baby?
It's not hard to see how a mother could feel compelled to go to unsafe lengths to be sure her child is receiving the magical milk responsible for illness-free childhoods and supposedly above-average intellects. Considering milk from one of the 10 human milk banks in the U.S.
As natural as nursing may seem, many women don't produce enough milk, produce none at all or have extreme difficulty with the latching process. Add that to the possibility of a clogged milk duct or infection and, well, breast-feeding doesn't sound quite as beautiful as the La Leche League literature implies. On the other hand, some new mothers' cups runneth over. Eats on Feets donors claim they want to share their excess with those who need it most -- and often free of charge.
After all, in addition to being cheap and convenient, breast milk composition changes as babies grow to provide exactly what's needed for each stage of development. And it's not as if breast milk sharing is a new concept; the practices of wet nursing and cross-nursing (i.e. nursing a friend's baby) have been around for ages, though at least in those cases the mother knew the milk source personally.
To be sure, the women providing milk for use by families in need are probably not the same bunch shooting heroin while their kids play in the other room, and home-pasteurization by flash heating has proven successful in killing disease-causing agents. As another Internet poster put it, "Isn't it a little weird that culturally we don't think twice about milk from an unknown cow, but get grossed out at the thought of actual human milk." Hmmm ...
If nothing else, the popularity of breast milk sharing on the Internet likely spurred the recent meeting of the FDA's pediatric advisory committee
Breast milk is, without a doubt, a natural miracle, but with formula substitutes proven to nourish growing babies, women should renounce the guilt associated with using it -- and self-appointed mommy experts should stick to raising their own little angels. In the meantime, perhaps lactivists should devise a plan to accommodate the glaring need for more cost effective, regulated human milk banks. It would be a much more productive use of their time.
Blair Henley is a freelance writer based in Florida and a regular contributor to WorldTennisMagazine.com. Her non-tennis related work has been published in the Sacramento Bee, the Springfield News-Leader and on AOL News.
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ReaderComments (Page 5 of 7)
1-25-2011 @ 5:47PM
jamesnpost said...This is sick. Breast milk is a disgusting body fluid, just like urine. Showing a woman's sex organs to an infant is sure to leave them with sexual deviations later in life. Christ, doesn't everybody know only industrial formula is safe for children?
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1-25-2011 @ 5:56PM
your mama said...Sheesh...your knickers are in a serious twist. Seek help. Immediately. Please. For the sake of the poor saps around you.
1-25-2011 @ 6:10PM
Rebecca said...Yeah, we should start to supplement feed every mammal. It is sure sick to watch ANY MAMMAL feed their young. I sure hope you don't drink milk you pervert!! Got a thing for cows?
1-25-2011 @ 7:40PM
Rebecca said...breasts aren't SEX organs moron. Just because they make you horney doesn't mean they are. Some people like feet....
1-25-2011 @ 5:58PM
Dee said...Why is it that women with children can be some of the most judgemental people on the face of the planet?
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1-25-2011 @ 5:59PM
SWinNY said...I had milk donated to my son, when I couldn't pump enough for him. He wasn't able to nurse do to a disorder, he had a feeding tube instead. I didn't go through some organization or anything of that nature, but the woman who did donate her milk provided me with every page of her medical records with me before-hand. I am thankful for her help, and she doesn't know how thankful I still am for her thoughtful gift to my son.
I think parents need to stop going back and forth arguing with eachother about who is doing what better. We all do what we think is best for our children. Yes, all of my children, aside from my son, were strictly breast-fed, my son was given formula and breast milk. As long as all of our children aren't abused or neglected, we should all stick together as parents and help our children grow up in a world where hate is found more than love, care, and respect.
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1-25-2011 @ 6:33PM
MJ said...I did the same for the woman I provided breastmilk for. Since alot of it was pumped while my daughter was in the NICU (7wks), every specimen cup was labeled with with date and time pumped, and a registry of what I'd eaten each day and at what time. With the info, my friend was able to determine that her daughter had a milk sensitivity. I quit drinking milk - problem solved.
1-25-2011 @ 6:13PM
Rebecca said...What some of you fail to understand. Breastfeeding is just one aspect. If you don't read to your kids they may not be good readers or very articulate if you don't immunize your kids, they're likely to be sick more often. So expecting breastfeeding to be some "cureall" is ridiculous. It is wonderful and it goes a long way. No not every mom can do it, mostly do to lack of knowledge but, most don't even try. I educate women the ones that really want to DO the ones that could care less don't ask for help until their supply is so low that they HAVE to supplement. Sad but, true. Stop being selfish and lazy,don't be too shy to ask for help IT IS YOUR BABY'S FOOD!!!
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1-26-2011 @ 11:00AM
Rebecca said...Too true. One of the reasons that breastmilk is superior over formula, and this will sick out you weak belly formula devotees, is that it contains live stem cells! In lab studies scientists have added breastmilk to cancer cells and guess what? It killed the cancer cells. Good luck getting formula up to the task!
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1-25-2011 @ 6:20PM
Greta said...Many years ago, Slaves breast fed our babies when the mothers could not. You may not be here if some one had not done this in the old day's.
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1-25-2011 @ 6:37PM
coreysmom366 said...40 yrs, ago i breast fed my first child and 8 yrs. later i did the same with my second. it's not so much the breast milk that is important, it is the colostrum that comes in before the milk. this is the stuff that gives the immunities to a child. after that, (1-3 days) formula is great if you have to or want to. mothers milk is natural and causes less tummy upsets and colic. but if there is no choice, then so be it. but it's the colostrum the is important.
40 yrs ago my local hospital had a milk bank. i contributed to it regularly. i went thru a battery of tests before i could donate. i even wet nursed for a short time. breast feeding is a natural thing and should be left up to the mother.
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1-25-2011 @ 6:41PM
coreysmom366 said...it's our job. our childs live is at stake based on our judgements.
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1-25-2011 @ 6:45PM
MJ said...The benefits of breastmilk don't stop at 3 days. In fact, the baby continues to benefit from nutrients that cannot be replicated in a can of formula until the day you quit breastfeeding your baby.
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1-25-2011 @ 6:56PM
Rebecca said...All breastmilk colostrum, foremilk, and hindmilk carry the mothers immunity. It is ALL important. But, the importance of colostrum is stressed due to the fact that it is the FIRST immunity a baby gets. Also it helps to coat the lining of the stomach, and digestive tract offering protection from viruses as babies stomach's arent fully mature and actually have microscopic "openings" througout the lining that leaves them vulnerable to infection and disease. Mothers milk acts as a filler closing them up as it coats.
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1-25-2011 @ 8:19PM
Jason said...I compliment any mother that will do whatever is necessary to feed her child. If you can breast feed great! It is affordable and a good thing to give your child if you can. If formula feed, whether because you choose to or cannot do so, good for you for taking care of your child! I have seen horrible mothers that have breast fed their children and I have seen horrible mothers that have formula fed their children. I hope that those mothers who are unable to breast feed do not feel guilty. Your job is to love, cherish and care for your child. As long as you are doing that, you are off to a good start.
I just want to give a little background. I was fortunate enough to be able to breastfeed my son. However, my sister was not. She tried everything and honestly I think the more she tried, the worse it became. I got to see how the pressure from her friends push her into fits of tears and depression. I felt so bad because this pressure took a happy mommy away from her daughter. It is sad when good mothers are labeled by something as silly as not breastfeeding. I would never tell a mother anything about feeding her child, unless of course she is not doing it at all.
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1-25-2011 @ 7:40PM
Rebecca said...There is a real difference between someone who truly wants to and tries everything and gets help WHEN they need it and someone who isn't really devoted to the idea but, feels they should "try" it and when something goes wrong(ie not perfect) and say "I wasn't able to" I am opionionated about it.VERY. I too had a sick child and he was my first and he had problems latching. Thankfully for him his mom is also very stubborn. While in the hospital I was unable to nurse him, was sent home before he was released with a breastpump. No one explained how often I should pump or how much to expect. So, he had to be supplemented in the hospital. When we came home 10 days later, I was so SICK of the formula. I sat on the couch and nursed him as much as he asked. Because I stubbornly wanted to bf my child. And I DID! I was committed. If you knew half of the junkk in your formula you wouldn't want to drink it much less give it to your child. Those of you who think it is sick or formula is just as good should educate yourselves or just keep your ignorant opinions to yourselves.
1-25-2011 @ 7:02PM
Pam Schlotter said...My son, born at Stanford University in 1970, was in ICU for aspiration pneumothorax. I was pumping my milk so I had milk flowing when he was able to nurse. They asked me at Stanford if I could share my milk with babies who Moms couldn't nurse. I happily did so. My son was 100% in 2-3 weeks, nursing and out of the hospital. It was nice to be able to help someone when I was esentially not able to help my son in the hospital. I still remember the doctor's name--easy--Dr. Sunshine.
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1-25-2011 @ 6:59PM
Jess said...Okay, first of all, are all these "new moms" psychopaths? If someone feeds their child formula, it doesn't mean the child's gonna grow up different, deformed, or with a vengeance on the mother. Its just milk NOT from boobs. calm down, my God. I think it's terrible that people would even consider this. That's kinda like instead of going to the doctor to get a blood transfusion you go into a back alley and pick a random stranger who wants to "help" you. You don't know what their blood has in it! These moms has no idea what these other womens breast milk has in them, and even the moms giving it to them might not know. This is slightly disgusting, very alarming and makes me think that there really SHOULD be a regulation on who can procreate. Let's get SMART people.
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1-25-2011 @ 8:22PM
c said...I hate to tell you but formula is not breast milk and nothing like it. It's not milk from another imaginary boob they put in a can, it's powdered cow milk you reconstitute.
1-25-2011 @ 11:52PM
Jess said...I'm not sure if this is replying to you or me but whatever, haha. This is in reply to C:
I understand what breast milk is, and what formula isn't. That doesn't mean that giving your baby something from another person that hasn't been tested or screened is safe. Sure, is the milk at face value better for your baby, yes! Is it safe to risk your newborn baby, someone you love and want to protect, to the diseases and other things another women's breast milk could unknowingly have? Never! I don't agree with it, and you moms can say "BREAST MILK IS BEST!" all you want, I would never risk giving my baby something because I just wanted the "better" option without making sure it was safe and clean.
There are so many things you need to protect your child from, and it can be in something as simple as breast milk. I just wish people were more aware of the things we pass along to each other.