Who saw this today..?

[GinaG3]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12569011

Thoughts? Would you eat it? Its true what they say if its good enough for babies it must be good enough for us too. Anyone gonna go Covent Garden? ?14 a serving, now thats expensive icecream!!! Very out there idea I must say. But they think it will be a massive success.

EDITED TO SAY: P.S THANK YOU FOR REMOVING MOD, I DON'T MEAN TO DOUBLE POST. I'M INNOCENT I PROMISE.

[littleEDfamily]

Er, no, I think gross. I am a big breastfeeding supporter, but consuming a stranger's bodily fluids will never sit right with me.

[Belle]

Hmm, have to say my first reaction is - what a shame the women didn't donate their breast milk to King's or their nearest hospital running similar scheme.

[GinaG3]

lEDf - I was thinking the same, if it was my breastmilk it would be different. I think?! Then again we may be missing the most amazing icecream ever.. For ?14 you would hope so anyway.

Belle I see your point too, they may well do that aswell, never know. Its the way she says "What's the harm in using my assets for a bit of extra cash?"

Just thought I'd throw it out there anyway, very controversial.

[Belle]

yeah, that's true. Just seems like quite a bizarre use!

[GinaG3]

Oh breastmilk does have a million and one uses. Its also one of the best natural make up removers you will find, apparently. It should even remove waterproof mascara.

[Ruth_Baldock]

Seriously? Well, I've run out of simple face wipes, so if anyone wants to help me out...

I thought it was an interesting idea and saw where they were coming from etc but yep- the donated milk could have gone to babies in need, really.

[Fuschia]

I think it's very telling that even women who bf often go "yuck" at the idea of drinking it, while we don't think twice about drinking the milk of cows.

[womanofdulwich]

but we have all tried it - right? its an acquired taste- quite sweet. Of course its not organic unless the woman that produces it is only eating organic- and assuming she is lliving in a pollutant free environment.

[ClareC]

You have a better idea where cows milk has come from..... Cows are presumably either organic or not, there are no questions as to lifestyle, diet, habits and hygiene (although I appreciate the milk is pasteurised). I do question someone selling their breast milk. That said I've never had any want to try my own, but then I don't like cows milk either and was formula fed ;-)

[kittysailing]

I find the whole thing an irritating publicity stunt which is doing nothing to help the already struggling image of breastfeeding in the public view. There was an item on the lunchtime news yesterday (PR mission accomplished) with vox pops of various ordinary people on street responding with variations on the "eugh / disgusting / hahaha " line. It's such a cheap trick.

[Saila]

i'm in 'yuck' and the 'clever marketing trick' camp

>"I think it's very telling that even women who bf often go "yuck" at the idea of drinking it, while we don't think twice about drinking the milk of cows."

... is that a fair comparison?

I love steak... but not sure i'd fancy eating a chunk of muscle off someone's back?

edit to say:

plus - most people feel a huge instinct to bf, it's been done for thousands of years and it's completely 'natural'

I have NO instinct to feed off fellow human beings. I can't for the life of me ever remember reading that cave men/woman felt a bit parched and thought... "hmmm... so and so's just had a baby - i'll nip over next door and ask if she'd mind..."

edit 2nd time to say:

As it's basic biology to bf - it's basic biology to feed DOWN the food chain - not across. As with pretty much every other species out there.

i mean... really?

[littleEDfamily]

Well said, Saila.

[GinaG3]

As you all know I'm very much pro breastfeeding but still, I just really don't think I could do it. Is this just because it isn't the norm? I do not know.

But then when you think about milk donation, and babies taking other peoples milk does it then became morally wrong that your child could have someone elses milk but you would never be prepared to try it or whatever? I just don't know.

I wouldn't say I found the idea Yuck! but its definitely very out there and bizarre. Can you imagine walking into Sainsbury's and picking up a pint of breastmilk? Its society for you I suppose..

Then again there are people out there that probably wish they could just walk into a shop and get it. Around 1-2 years ago channel 4 showed a programme 'Other peoples breastmilk' I believe. In the programme they showed various people using breastmilk for different reasons (cross feeding, wet nursing etc). One 59y/o man was getting weekly donations to help try and calm/fight off the symptoms of his prostate cancer, he thought it was brilliant (he also thought it was indeed curing him - research and studies are on going and some completed into use in cancer sufferers) and I say if it helps try it. Maybe he would be happier eating icecream as opposed to drinking 'other peoples breastmilk'. It could be an absolutely genius idea.

[reneet]

Totally with Sallie, my initial thought was 'What next? Human Steak?' Its all to do with food chains and nature. The milk should have been donated to a milk bank so many children need it. And how long can she keep producing it.

[littleEDfamily]

I think it's partly the commercialism of it that it distasteful (he he). My grandmother and her sister in law were each other's kids wet nurses (when one had to go out, the other would make sure both kids were fed), but this is very different from a stranger being paid to give something to another adult who has no nutritional need for it. I don't think it is morally objectionable or anything just pointless, gimicky and, yep, I'll say it again, gross.

[spotify]

Ladies have sold their full heads of hair for many decades,

more recently models and actresses sell their bodily looks,

why shouldn't lactating ladies sell their natural product?

The lactating mums are unlikely to be in employment and are presumably struggling to survive on a single wage with an extra being to provide for.

I wonder if this might stimulate a whole new industry, as there was never any money to be made in wet-nursing.

Perhaps a competition on how much you can sell a 10 ounce feed for?

The price to beat ladies is ?15 for 10 ounces as that's what the ice cream mum nets.

?50 worth of premium bonds to the winner!

[ClareC]

?15 for 10 ounces is not well paid!!!

[spotify]

What would you consider to be well paid then Clare? ?15 per ounce?

[ClareC]

10oz is not far short of 300ml which is a lot to express not to mention fairly time consuming to do so even if possible. I think a lot of b/f mothers would struggle to express that volume. There is also the issue that that milk would be in addition to what they are feeding their own baby so quite exhausting to do on a regular basis. It's definitely not a get rich quick plan!

No idea whether you are male or female, if female whether you have expressed milk but if you can express 10oz with ease in a short period of time then my feeling is you are in the minority!

Wonder what sperm donator's get paid per ounce ;-)

[GinaG3]

Okay my partners a little concerned why I would google such a thing but there you go Clare. Bit old but worth a look ;-)

BBC News

[Moos]

I've often wondered whether there's a black market for breast milk... it would be a logical outcome of the proven benefits of breast milk vs. the comparative difficulty for many exclusively to breastfeed.

But to the point, I'd never eat the ice cream. And anyway, it's horrid-tasting stuff to the adult palate! (I've kissed enough droplets off my dribbly boys to have an opinion.)

[GinaG3]

Last year certainly in America, there was trend of buying breastmilk on the black market. Moo's this makes for an interesting read, check it out. Breastmilk on the black market

[spotify]

I found literally hundreds of pleas from both women and men, bidding as high as $7.00 per ounce of milk.

(from GinaG3 link)

The ice cream lady is selling short, she should be getting $70 a go, about ?45 not ?15, the Americans always were higher paid, and better organised.

[littleEDfamily]

Spotify has made me giggle. I like his/her cold commercial take on it...