Mother's milk

Buying donor milk off the Web could be harmful

To breastfeed or not to breastfeed.

Is that the question? Or is it the more recent controversy over whether buying breast milk on the Internet is safe?

Mothers who may not be able to produce milk due to health conditions like breast cancer are able to receive breast milk from donors through a Web site.

Kathy Willis, a certified lactation counselor at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, is not in favor of women buying breast milk over the Internet without first checking the screening process of donor mothers. Willis, however, does endorse breast milk from approved donor banks.

''When you get breast milk from a donor bank there are very strict screenings,'' Willis said.

In many ways, it's comparable to donating blood. Even after the mothers and their breast milk are screened, the donor milk is also pasteurized and re-tested before it is shipped. A mother's milk can carry a number of diseases, including hepatitis and HIV.

Also, ''the moms that are donor moms do not get any money for their milk,'' the lactation counselor said.



click to read more....