Mothers are selling their BR***ST MILK on Facebook

Doctors agree that breast milk is better than formula as it is packed with disease-fighting substances. However, many women struggle to express enough milk and resort to bottle feeding

Women in the UK and U.S are selling their breast milk online, despite serious concerns that it could be harmful for babies. Mothers are using community forums, including Facebook, to make some quick cash out of their extra milk.

 Buying br***st milk is tempting to new parents struggling to express their own, as it provides babies with better protection against illnesses and allergies compared to formula.

Websites such as onlythebreast.co.uk appear to answer this need, saying: 'Our discrete breastfeeding breast milk classified system makes it possible to sell or buy breast milk in a clean, private way.'

 Donor mothers list their milk under the age of their baby and if they can provide fresh milk on demand. A search around the site reveals women from Essex to Newcastle are offering it either fresh or frozen for around £1 per fluid ounce, while $2 per ounce is the standard rate in the U.S . 

There are legitimate ways to both donate and receive breast milk for free via milk banks. These centres store breast milk for babies whose mothers can't breastfeed. The banks collect expressed milk from pre-screened mothers who have a plentiful supply and a baby under six-months old. It is then pasteurised before it is offered to nearby hospitals.

New mothers buy and sell breast milk on various social networks including Facebook

But today doctors in Germany warned new parents against privately obtaining their baby's food through social networks such as Facebook. The Professional Association of Pediatricians said that although breast is generally the best option for newborns, mothers unable to breastfeed should not turn to the internet.

 'Donors can be taking medicines or drugs, have infectious illnesses like AIDS or Hepatitis,' Wolfram Hartmann, president of the association, said. 'Nobody can check whether the unknown mother's milk is harmless for the particular child' he warned, adding that the milk's quality could also be affected during its transportation. 

The warning follows a report by the online edition of German news weekly Der Spiegel and the association's own research, it said.

Powered by Twitter Fan Box & Pizcar

Posted in: breast milk news,latest health news