Did you know that you can buy breast milk in the Philippines online? For mommies who are not blessed with abundant breast milk or are having difficulty getting their child to latch or suck, buying breast milk may be the only solution to their problem.
The benefits of breast milk are widely known and some moms will do anything, including getting milk from another mother, to exclusively feed their child colostrum and human milk.
Buying breast milk price in the Philippines
Breast milk is acknowledged as the best milk for babies.
Only the Breast is a very popular site in the US that is basically the craigslist for breast milk. Here, mothers producing an excess of milk put up their supply for sale, advertising their diets and the weight of their babies. You could call it your digital wet nurse.
In countries like the Philippines, breast milk is usually freely given to neighbors and relatives who are willing to drop by and pick up a frozen batch from the lactating mother’s house. But if you want to sell or buy breast milk, there are five authorized banks:
- UP-Philippine General Hospital
- Fabella Hospital
- Philippine Children’s Medical Center
- Government-run Makati Human Milk Bank
- Zamboanga City Medical Center
These facilities keep their milk on-hand for premature babies, motherless infants, babies with mothers who are unable to express milk, malnourished babies and babies in neonatal intensive care units. Their screening process for donors are strict and involve the following:
- Pasteurization and safety tests
- Specialized bottles, refrigerators, freezers, storage units
Breast milk sharing services and groups can also be found on Facebook.
Keep in mind, though, that no two formulations of breast milk are alike. The mother’s body adjusts to the specific nutritional needs of her child so what one baby is drinking is different from another. This is why ads on Only the Breast include their diet and medicines plus their baby’s appearance to help buyers understand what the milk could possibly contain.
Colostrum (left) is said to contain the most nutrients a newborn needs. Breast milk (right), is what babies get after the first breast feeding session. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Is it safe?
The practice of selling breast milk isn’t actually frowned upon, as there are hospitals that sell breast milk especially to preemies whose mothers cannot produce enough milk. However, the sourcing is always what comes to be questioned.
Usually, Filipino mothers don’t question the quality of the human milk if they personally know the lactating mom. But when you start seeing ads for breast milk at Php 80 an ounce, you’ll have to wonder if it’s actual human milk and if it’s been stored correctly.
Official milk banks pasteurize the milk to ensure purity and to prevent contamination. These medical facilities, however, cost up to Php 180 an ounce.
Online-sourced milk is much cheaper with some mothers selling for Php 40 an ounce. The storage, handling and sourcing of these milk batches, however, can be considered unreliable.
You can find breastfeeding mothers around the world.
Research gives you the facts
A study conducted by The BMJ (formerly British Medical Journal), shows that breast milk bought online and in official hospital banks are not as safe as you think. Sarah Steele, a health professor at the Queen Mary University in London who co-authored the study says, “It’s really, really, really dangerous,” when talking about buying breast milk online.
Another study conducted a few years ago found fecal matter and bacteria in most of the milk samples sourced from online stores. Take a look at the conclusions you can draw from the findings:
Online-sourced breast milk can carry diseases.
Just like any fluid secreted by the human body, breast milk can contain bacteria and viruses. Milk banks always screen their providers for diseases before accepting any batch while online breast milk stores have no such facility.
Online sellers are not screened for Hepatitis B and C, HIV, human T cell lymphotropic virus, and syphilis, among other diseases. Twenty one percent of online samples have been seen to contain cytomegalovirus, which is fatal in newborn infants.
Breast milk spoils very easily and can build up bacteria even before complete spoilage.
According to the study, only nine out of the 101 samples they had tested from online sellers did not contain any bacteria. Seventy four percent of all the samples tested contained gram-negative bacteria and viral colonies. All these mean that breast milk providers do not know how to properly store their breast milk.
Online-sourced breast milk can contain fillers.
Some providers, in their desire for more revenue, add water and even cow’s milk to breast milk bottles.
Online breast milk sellers are usually unaware of how to store, transport and preserve breast milk.
Sellers need to transport and pack breast milk in sterile containers that can withstand handling and remain in freezing temperatures. The study noted that 25 percent of 102 samples were damaged and unable to retain the proper temperature and container for transport, resulting in the buildup of bacteria and contamination.
Lactating mothers selling breast milk online may be taking harmful drugs.
The study found disturbing evidence that some samples contained bisphenol and other illicit drugs which may have come from women who use dangerous substances while expressing milk.
There is no regulation for breast milk sold outside of hospitals or milk banks.
As of now, there are no agencies, rules or laws regulating the sale of milk outside of hospitals and official banks anywhere in the world. While the study says that not all breast milk bought online is harmful or contains dangerous substances, there is a high probability of adverse effects especially with newborns and preemies.
The backlash that mothers who turn to formula face puts on pressure to source human milk wherever they can. However, the message of the body of research is clear: Buying breast milk online puts infants, especially newborns, at risk.
Have you ever bought breast milk online? Share with us your experience in the comments below, please.
