Exploding Boobs: Donation vs Profit

Nope. This has nothing to do with sex.
It has to do with the dilemma I face as an over-producing lactating woman.

90% of the time, I feel like I have exploding boobies. According to the lactation consultants I have spoken to, I produce enough milk for 5 children. All of my attempts at reducing my supply have been futile. My supply continues to increase.

I regularly donate my milk to 3 children whose mothers cannot produce. Their allergies to milk and soy prohibit the use of formula. The mothers are appreciative. But I am starting to feel that over-production has become an extreme burden. It is time consuming to pump this much milk with the mid-grade pump I currently have and to purchase an industrial pump that would make my life easier costs well over a thousand dollars. I am considering selling my breast milk. There are a few ways of doing so, all of which are legal, and would net anywhere from$1.00 - $5.00 an ounce. With 500 ounces currently in my freezer, I am sitting on enough to purchase a pump. But I have this hang up: I feel that mother's milk should never be sold, that it is a special gift a mom gives to their child. I am moved to share my excess milk. I see an infant and my breasts ache to share. But sell? That's something else entirely.

I am curious how you feel about the moral debate of milk- sharing and profit.

Here are a few questions to guide the discussion:
How do you feel about the topic of milk sharing?
Would you seek out someone else's milk to feed your child?
Would you sell your breast milk?

Here is some additional news on the topic:
Breast milk sharing programs gaining speed, despite warnings | Globalnews.ca
http://m.cbsnews.com/blogsstorysynopsis.rbml?feed_id=71&catid=20025454&videofeed=null
Moms share and donate breast milk | MyFOX8.com

 

Do you mean you think you should give it away instead of selling it? Or that you shouldn't part with it at all? It isn't fully clear.

I think the sharing of milk is a great idea. This goes for other related things too: organ donation, blood donation, etc. It's generous to share what you have to offer, especially if it goes to those who really need it. I feel guilty for not donating blood. I'm a bit nervous about needles, but it's no excuse. I'm O+, I say. It's pretty common, I say. Bah. Lame. I should just do it.

But milk. Bear in mind that I'm a childless man. I'm responding from a purely philosophical/ethical position.

Is a mother's milk precious to the extent that it should be reserved for her children only? I don't think so. One of the things I try to work on in my mindfulness training is this sense of propriety we tend to have over those close to us. It's like a sense of ownership, a biological exclusivity, despite the fact that we lease our bodies, not own them. It goes further than that. I try to think of others, even strangers, as those deserving love and kindness. In the case of excess milk, I don't see why sharing wouldn't be ideal. If one wishes to participate in loving kindness, sharing excess mother's milk (especially to the tune of thousands of dollars' worth) is one of the best examples I can think of.

Would I seek out someone else's milk to feed my child? Yes. Without a doubt. I understand human breast milk to be superior to any formula out there. If you consider all the goodness in there, it stands to reason that if milk isn't "locally available," then getting it elsewhere should be priority, if it's possible.

Would I sell breast milk? If I found a really well-established and respectable means of doing so, I would if I had an economic need. If I were financially secure and knew that poor mothers needed the milk, I would consider donating it. As someone who has trouble shaking the money tree, I find it fascinating that the body can produce something so economically valuable. It might be a tough call.

In other words, I can't quite recommend what you should do.

In a perfect world, you'd sell the milk you have to get the industrial pump, and then use that to donate future milk. I'm assuming the pump will have a decent resale value if necessary?

 

I'm probably one of the least qualified to answer, so of course I'll give my opinion.

I don't see a moral issue. If you are feeding your baby first, conducting the transactions legally, carrying for your physical health to ensure the milk is healthy, then I see zero issue with selling it. Donating some or all of it to the less fortunate would be a noble and worthy endeavor. But if you decide you want to sell some or all of the excess, there is nothing wrong with that.

If I were a parent, I think the mother's milk would be the first/best option. If that wasn't possible, I'd probably consider formula next. But if medical reasons made another mother's milk a desirable option, I'd have no objection.

 

Oh, I guess it's not too clear. I am comfortable donating. I'm just not sure if it's morally ok to sell - profiting off milk? I would never sell blood or an organ. But my milk is in greater abundance than these things...

I spoke with my sister about it and we brainstormed the idea of putting the money earned into an educational account for my daughter. With this idea in mind, I'm starting to warm up to the idea.

 

I don't care profit from what you can from your body. Why not? It's not like you're selling your vagina usage for sex which is illegal.

You aren't letting someone suckle on your boobs. You are taking time and materials to produce such things. How is it different then the intelligence you've gained through schooling and life? You allow people to compensate you accordingly for those things.

the costs for an industrial breast pump is a cost in order to continue to allow someone to use your milk products. Well, it shouldn't come out of your pocket should it? Should you bear the costs of not only giving the milk away for free, but also the machine that helps it along? Or should YOU be donating that $1k to those that cannot produce milk?

 

kudos to you.

 

That's exactly what I was going for!

I'm sure you say this in jest but I'm really not interested in that. With babies, it's difficult to do, there's a whole dance involved. And adult wet nursing isn't my thing. Pumping is the way to go.

 

Retail value for a new industrial pump is anywhere from $850 - $3,000 depending on the model. There are quite a few on e-bay for much less.
But I don't have to worry about that for a while! One of my donee moms has a pump in the model I was planning to purchase. She'll let me use it as long as I continue to provide her with 100 oz. a week. I'm so happy!

 

Why NOT sell the excess milk? You are not in any way depriving your child by selling what is excess to that child's need. Given that, I don't see any moral question here.

We sell our time, our skills, our strong backs, our judgement, our smarts, our athletic ability, our musicianship, etc. Selling your milk provides a baby with a useful product and give you useful remuneration.

Taking money for the excess milk is at least as moral as LeBron James taking whatever he gets paid to run around in his shorts.

I used to (figuratively) sell my breasts as an exotic dancer to barrooms full of (mostly) men in various stages of intoxication. The cash tips put me through graduate school. It was legal, and way more lucrative than doing data entry, waitressing, or working retail.

 

mmmm intoxication.

 

I don't know...

I think the retail industry produces a lot of hundredaires...