Moms Talk Q&A: Is Breast Milk Sharing Worth It?

In most cases when a mother gives birth, she's reminded of the benefits of breastfeeding over feeding them formula.

However, breastfeeding is not always a viable option for new mothers for any number of a variety of reasons, including an inability to produce enough milk, the need to better gauge whether the baby is thriving, and some are actually uncomfortable with it.

Many moms out there are looking for a happy medium by searching the Internet to purchase breast milk stored by other women, according to an article on parentdish.com.

According to the article, the Food and Drug Administration is not a fan.

 The agency warns against sharing unregulated breast milk, citing the obvious dangers of infectious diseases, illegal drugs and prescription drugs being passed on to the baby. It's unlikely that the donor has been screened for such. In addition, there are potential storage and handling issues.

But, the article also points out the benefits of feeding babies breast milk with the World Health Organization actually recommending "raw" donor milk if a woman can't produce enough of her own.

 Would you feel safe searching for breast milk from an online source? Do you feel there is pressure from outside sources from women who don’t want to breastfeed to search out “breast milk bank groups”?