I understand what the last two posters are saying, but that needs to be addressed to the poster asking for breast milk rather than me. She has to consider the risks and make her own decision.

That's scary, bc donation issue aside, many of us have BM that has bacteria or staph!!

I appreciate that everyone seems to operating in good faith on this issue, but I read that post and the replies and it concerned me. It is not a safe practice at all. A milk bank is much safer since they pasteurize the milk first. Did any of you read this?

New York Times: "Breast Milk Donated or Sold Online Is Often Tainted, Study Says"

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/21/health/breast-milk-donated-or-sold-online-is-often-tainted-study-says.html?_r=0

A couple of excerpts:

"A cottage industry has sprung up facilitating the sale and donation of human breast milk on the Internet, but a study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics confirms the concerns of health professionals over this unregulated marketplace.

The report found that breast milk bought from two popular Web sites was often contaminated with high levels of bacteria, including, in a few instances, salmonella. The amounts detected in some samples were sufficient to sicken a child.

“The study makes you worry,” said Dr. Richard A. Polin, the director of neonatology and perinatology at Columbia University, who was not involved in the research. “This is a potential cause of disease. Even with a relative, it’s probably not a good idea to share.” ...

Dr. Keim and her colleagues collected 101 samples from milk-sharing Web sites, recording the sellers’ assertions about their own health and their methods of handling and storage. Then the researchers analyzed the bacterial content in the samples, comparing them with unpasteurized breast milk from screened donors at banks.

The researchers found that 64 percent of the samples from milk-sharing sites were contaminated with staph, 36 percent with strep, and almost three-quarters with other bacterial species. Three of the samples contained salmonella. Seventy-four percent of the samples would have failed milk bank criteria. ...

“If you get milk from an unscreened sharer, you put your child at risk,” she said. “I hate to say this to an informal sharer, because they are trying to do good. But they are playing a game of Russian roulette.”

The Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the buying or selling of breast milk, but the agency discourages both online and person-to-person sharing.

Thanks for your concern about this poster. However, it looks like that thread did okay without my assistance. A lot of posters were interested in helping, which was nice to see.

This is the post:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/386996.page


I'm assuming the OP is posting in good faith (i.e., it's a real post and not a troll). If so (and I'll rely on your ability to choose whether or not that's true), would it be possible to make the thread a sticky? It doesn't have to be a permanent thing - maybe just for the weekend?

Mostly, it just seems like bad timing to me. With the holiday weekend, there are going to be lots of people travelling, only checking posts on the fly, if at all. I'd hate for someone who could really help to miss the request because it wasn't on the front page and they didn't have the time/inclination to read through lots of posts.

No big deal either way (if you say yes or no). It's your site! And since I'm here - thanks for hosting!