Breast Milk Banks Running Low
Did you know that millions of babies’ lives are at risk today because breast milk banks are running on empty?
Doctors say that a lot of high-risk babies, like preemies and those recovering from surgery, have trouble digesting formula, because it’s foreign to their body. And babies shouldn’t be given cow's milk until they’re a year old. So, they need easier-to-digest breast milk to survive, especially because it’s packed with nutrients that help them fight off infections. But a lot of moms can’t naturally produce milk, so it’s common practice for hospitals to order breast milk from national milk banks.
The problem is that the demand for human milk is at an all time high and milk banks can’t keep up. In fact, hospital milk orders are up 60-percent over last year. So, a lot of moms, desperate to give their babies human milk, are buying it from black market websites. In fact, breast milk is now nicknamed “liquid gold,” because it typically sells it for $6 bucks an ounce. That equals about $50 bucks for one bottle’s worth.
But getting milk from anywhere but a nationally-approved milk bank is like playing Russian roulette with your child’s life, because most online breast milk websites don’t screen donors for diseases or toxins. This means you're giving your baby some stranger's bodily fluid that might contain anything from drug residue to a deadly disease.
So, federal milk banks are launching a campaign to get moms everywhere to donate their breast milk! It’s free. All you have to do is fill out paperwork online, and provide a blood sample at a local lab.
If you want to go further, check out the site HMBANA.org. That stands for Human Milk Banking Association of North America.
Doctors say that a lot of high-risk babies, like preemies and those recovering from surgery, have trouble digesting formula, because it’s foreign to their body. And babies shouldn’t be given cow's milk until they’re a year old. So, they need easier-to-digest breast milk to survive, especially because it’s packed with nutrients that help them fight off infections. But a lot of moms can’t naturally produce milk, so it’s common practice for hospitals to order breast milk from national milk banks.
The problem is that the demand for human milk is at an all time high and milk banks can’t keep up. In fact, hospital milk orders are up 60-percent over last year. So, a lot of moms, desperate to give their babies human milk, are buying it from black market websites. In fact, breast milk is now nicknamed “liquid gold,” because it typically sells it for $6 bucks an ounce. That equals about $50 bucks for one bottle’s worth.
But getting milk from anywhere but a nationally-approved milk bank is like playing Russian roulette with your child’s life, because most online breast milk websites don’t screen donors for diseases or toxins. This means you're giving your baby some stranger's bodily fluid that might contain anything from drug residue to a deadly disease.
So, federal milk banks are launching a campaign to get moms everywhere to donate their breast milk! It’s free. All you have to do is fill out paperwork online, and provide a blood sample at a local lab.
If you want to go further, check out the site HMBANA.org. That stands for Human Milk Banking Association of North America.
