This is why we have milk banks.  Milk banks do charge a processing fee
for their milk,  but we never deny milk to anyone who needs the milk.  I
don't understand the difference.  We screen the donors, process the milk
and handle the shipping.  I would not want unprocessed milk for my baby
in this day and age.  Help me understand the difference here.  It does
cost money to process the milk.  We do not pay the donors.  Am I
misunderstanding the process.
Darlene Breed, RN, BSN, IBCLC
Worcester, MA (USA)

On Sat, 7 Nov 1998 21:36:14 -0500 Peter Goldenthal
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Kathleen Bruce forwarded the following:
>
>"...our
>>business project is to create Mother's Own Inc., a company dedicated
>to
>>collecting, testing, and distributing human milk to parents who want
>to
>>give their baby nature's perfect human baby food.
>
>>Please answer with only 1 word or a very short phrase: In considering
>>human milk for a patient.
>>1. my greatest concern for the child would be:
>>2. my greatest concern for the mother would be:
>>3. my greatest concern for the donor would be:
>>4. my initial reaction toward human milk is:
>>5. my research into the company or product would begin with:
>>
>
>I was so floored when I read this that I had to reread it twice. My
>real
>concern is that this company actually will be able to go ahead with
>this
>and to ultimately appeal to some mothers.  I occasionally talk with
>some
>new mothers who truly want to give their baby breastmilk because they
>know
>it is the best.
>And yet some of these mothers really don't want to nurse their baby,
>but
>instead want to pump and give the baby EBM in a bottle.  I think this
>is a
>vulnerable group of mothers, and I hope that they never have the
>opportunity to come into contact with this company.
>
>Luckily, I think that marketing breastmilk this way is going to be
>extremely difficult. The company is going to have to jump through a
>lot of
>hurdles.  Lots of bright, well-read, new mothers will be pretty
>squeamish,
>no matter what the company professes in terms of safety and testing of
>the
>breastmilk.
>
>In addition, and even more importantly, who is going to provide this
>breastmilk?  In all likelihood, it will be poor women, those who alre
>already suffering most in our society. The possibility of making money
>by
>selling what is essentially part of their bodies may be a too-powerful
>inducement for many to resist. But of course one cannot sell one's
>milk
>without incurring some cost. In this instance cost will be to the
>health of
>both mother and baby; to the baby who may be weaned earlier than
>otherwise
>in order to make a milk supply available for sale; to the mother who
>will
>be depleting her own nutritional reserves. Affluent women will be
>consumers, not providers, of milk.
>
>Let's hope that their liability insurance will be so sky high that
>they
>will have to drop this whole meshuggah idea.
>
>Wendy Goldenthal
>*************************
>Nursing Mother Supplies
>Wholesale Nursing Pads to the trade
>mailto:[log in to unmask]
>

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