Selling Breast Milk
For women with oversupplies of breast milk, or those who have been banking overwhelming amounts of milk in their freezers, it is not advised that you take out an ad to sell it, as a woman in Iowa recently did. She offered 100 ounces of frozen breast milk for $200 because her 4-month-old daughter won't take a bottle and she has built up a large supply of milk in her freezer.
The Human Milk Banking Association of North America has very specific guidelines for donating milk, including going through a lengthy screening process. If you are interested in donating your milk, it is suggested that you familiarize yourself with the details of a milk banking program (there are 11 banks in the United States), so that neither your milk nor your time is wasted. The woman in Iowa is now donating to the Mother's Milk Bank of Iowa, but unfortunately the milk that she had advertised was not eligible for donation because it was pumped before it was screened.
Comments
I don’t see what’s wrong with screening the milk yourself and selling it. Or taking steps to guarantee and certify that ur breastmilk is clean and safe. Milk banks are expensive, it sounds like the good ol’ “if we can’t make money, you can’t either” defense. There are women who screen their own milk and have set up an organization where they sell and donate milk to third world countries. But try to do that in America, they want to find every excuse for u not to benefit in the slightest. I sell my milk, not as a way to make money. But to genuinely help those who need it. But if milk banks can screen and charge, then why can’t I?
I completely agree with the previous commenter. If a lactating woman can demonstrate that she herself is not taking any harmful medications or has any transmissible diseases, why couldn’t she sell her milk. Certainly, science supports that breatmilk is far superior to chemical-based formulas. I’d venture futher to say that a lot of this back and forth on whether or not its okay for women to give other babies who aren’t their own breastmilk is based largely on a bizarre cultural “eew” factor. Why are we so uncomfortable with this idea? Think about the fact that millions of kids each day drink milk from a COW and no one bats an eye. Why then is it so weird that a baby would drink milk from another human who is not his or her own mother?
It’s fantastic that you’re producing so much milk and want to nurture other babies with it. However, as stated above, you really should not be selling your milk without following proper guidelines. If you are interested in donating your milk, check out the Human Milk Banking Association of North America’s website, listed above.
One of the reasons people are so “eew” about breastfeeding is because we are brought up that breasts are something that should be hidden, are sexually assimilated. The thought of a baby doing something “sexual” like sucking on her breast is considered “gross.” How this came about, I do not know, but all I know is that I think it is wrong. People also think that giving other babies your breastmilk is disgusting, but if you think about it, wet nursing was VERY popular in royal families. I have to agree with a previous commenter…we can’t give other children breastmilk, but we let them drink milk from a cow every day without a second thought. I agree that there should be careful screenings for diseases and such, but I also think that if you get paid to donate plasma, blood, semen, etc. you should get paid for your breast milk too! I currently have a few GALLONS of breast milk in my freezer, and I still nurse my son often, so if anyone finds out how to do it, please let me know. lil_butterfly87@yahoo.com
ok so i had a son sever years ago in this comming feb. i never breast fed him and after having him my milk dried up. well for over a year now i have all of a suddent started producing milk again. i have gone to doctors and they ran all sorts of tests only to tell me that there is no reason that i should be producing milk. so im producing milk and its just going to waste. im currently a college student and could use the extra cash so i was looking into becoming a wet nurse but then i found that i would also have to let another person’s baby actually breast feed, and alll i want to do is just pump the milk and sell it. i cant take the time to actually sit and breast feed a child. so then i looked into milk banks but so far all i have been able to find are blogs abt milk banks and milk banks where u just donate the milk….i would like the money for it though. so if any one could help me out and point me in a direction to go that would be great!
by the way my email is rg96@evansville.edu if you would like to get back to me that way.
I have been thinking about selling my breastmilk and am surprised (well, not really,) to find a lot of talk about urging women to COME FORTH AND DOANTE THEIR MILK, when men are being paid to give sperm. Producing milk takes energy, it requires eating right and eating more, in short it is work and maybe it ought to be compensated.