Through my friend Melissa's blog I came across this Vancouver Sun article about a woman who is trying to sell her breastmilk, and was kicked off Craigslist.

I have my own opinions about the best ways to ensure human milk for human babies, which are not necessarily shared by those in the breastfeeding world or those in the business of formula production (not that I actually know anyone in the business of making formula!).

Basically, at this point, and unless I learn something new that changes what I think, it is my opinion that there should be a company that makes breastmilk available at a reasonable cost (and buys breastmilk from lactating women) with regulations in place so that certain ethical standards are maintained. I think that a company operating on a business model on a wide scale could offer serious competition to the formual companies and, most importantly, offer the BEST nutrition option to babies whose own parents aren't able to breastfeed them, for whatever reason.

Here's the comment I left on the article:

I understand there are ethical issues around buying and selling breastmilk, for instance, is the breastmilk truly breastmilk and/or undiluted, is the lactating woman compromising her own infant's health by selling so much of her breastmilk that her own baby doesn't get enough? When money is involved, profit can often outweigh common sense and ethical standards.

HOWEVER, and I think this is huge, there are ways to solve these problems AND GET HUMAN BABIES HUMAN MILK.

I think Eats on Feets is one great solution, but it might not work for everyone.

I also think that the value of breastmilk is so great that we actually can't even calculate it, and the time and effort that women put into pumping milk, as well as the toll on their bodies, should not be ignored. Women's contributions to society have generally been undervalued or distorted, especially pregnancy, birthing, mothering, and lactating. It is my opinion that paying women for breastmilk that they donate is part of recognizing how valuable this resource is for babies, not just for the present but for continued health into the rest of those babies' lives.

What I would like to see is either government or an individual company create regulations around purchasing and sellling breastmilk. I think with the right standards in place, ethical issues could be solved and breastmilk could become a real competitor for formula.

In the meantime, Eats on Feets is an excellent solution for those who are comfortable with mother-to-mother milk sharing.

Both donating and selling breastmilk has been around since women and babies. A lactating family member or friend would often breastfeed babies whose mothers were not able to or who were not around, and wet nurses were paid for their services.