Eats on Feets Milk-Sharing

[Serenyd]

Women have been sharing breast milk for eons (remember wet nurses?), but the practice has been stigmatized in modern society, especially in the age of HIV. Milk banks screen and pasteurize donated milk and give priority to premature and very ill babies, essentially preventing most families from accessing the milk. And for those who can get banked milk, it is often prohibitively expensive: $3 to $5 per oz., upwards of $100 for a day's supply.

Thoughts?

[UTVOL3]

I think best case scenario it has the potential to do wonders for a few very lucky babies.

The thing is, it requires alot of personal responsibility. It requires that parents ok the milk source. There is very little recourse if baby was to contract something. That is why I think it will not become commonplace in the US, especially in the hospital setting. We are so used to having someone to blame when something goes wrong.

[rockabye]

I work in a large NICU and have never seen a baby receiving donated breast milk. I attended a meeting once about breast milk by a lactation consultant and she said even though research studies show mother's breast milk is better for babies over formula, donated milk is not due to what is lost through the necessary pasteurization process. I had never heard that the donated milk was so expensive. I guess the price is for testing, pasteurizing, and shipping since the mothers who donate their milk don't get paid.