Breast milk on sale in UK and US

19 October, 2012

Mothers are selling their breast milk to make fast cash in the UK and the US through social networking sites like Facebook, despite the serious concerns that it could be harmful for babies.

IN A surprising development, selling the breast milk through social networking sites is becoming a business. The mother who is struggling to provide her own milk to the newborn is finding it a better option to provide nutrition to the baby. Pertinent to mention is the fact that mothers' milk is known to be the primary source of nutrition to newborns.

The websites like onlythebreast.com are acting as a medium to sell the breast milk. The breast milk is listed under the age of the babies of the donor mother and the milk is offered fresh or frozen. The cost per fluid ounce in US is 2$ and the site has 14,000 members. The founder of the site Glenn Snow got this idea, when her wife wanted to sell her extra milk and earn some quick bucks, as she stayed at home.

The milk banks, act as a medium for the mothers who wants to donate or recieve the breast milk for free. But the banks give priority to the babies who are sick. The milk banks collect the milk from a per-screened mother of a baby who is under six-months of age. It is then pasteurized and offered to the nearby hospitals.

But the Professional Association of Pediatricians says that although breast milk is the best option for the newborns, but still the mothers who cannot lactate their child should not turn to the Internet, because the unknown donors can be use medicines for infectious diseases like AIDS or hepatitis so you can't be sure that the mothers milk is harmless for the child. And in addition to that, the quality of milk can deteriorate during its transportation.

It is not at all ethical to sell the breast milk for profit. Because it is something personal, which should be shared by the newborn and his/ her mother, reported Mail Online.