Revealed: The Black Market in Breastmilk

Wet nursing is back in fashion – only problem is, there’s not enough “officially” banked milk to go around.

Desperate mothers are being forced to advertise for private breast milk donors, which opens up the (admittedly small) risk  of disease transmission through unscreeened milk.

As reported in the Daily Telegraph,

Mothers Milk Bank founder Marea Ryan said mothers were forced underground because banks – including her own in Queensland and another in WA – can only cater for a local supply.

“They (interstate mums) have to have a donor as a private arrangement; another mother who is happy to give them milk,” she said.

“I think it is increasing more and more as people become a lot more aware of the benefits of breastfeeding,” she said.

She said mothers should see blood tests before feeding their baby donated milk.

I think it’s great to see the message getting out there that the next best thing to mother’s milk is other human milk.

It’s shocking that breast milk banks don’t yet exist in every State and Territory though.