Donor Milk Dangers: When Breast Isn't Always Best

There are many women who find themselves in a position where they can't breast feed for one reason or another. Many of those same women, however, still want to breast feed, and as a result turn to donor milk. As demand increases approved, tested donor supplies run low and by the law of supply and demand breast milk sale sites have popped up alongside privately run well-intended free donors. New mothers just looking to do what's best for their babies often don't realize that while breast may be best, the breast the milk comes from may be less than the best if you're accepting donor milk that hasn't been tested. Here is what you should know…

Certain sexually transmitted diseases can spread through breast milk.

HIV and AIDS have been shown to have a high transfer rate through breast milk. Several other STD's such as Herpes and HPV can be transferred as well in certain situations. For example, if a donor mother has herpes, and currently has active sores, if she touches those sores and then has contact with the milk or her own nipple, she can transfer the virus to the milk. As some milk is sold online, profit can spur greedy sales of unsafe milk, or in cases, a lack of education could lead a donor to be unaware their condition can be transferred. Others may be unaware they even have an STD.

Lifestyle choices can create dangerous breast milk.

Drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, meth, and even prescription medications will pass through breast milk to your baby. If you don't know the donor, you don't know what they've been putting in their body. Even lesser drugs such as alcohol and tobacco-even caffeine-- can affect the quality of breast milk.

Food proteins pass into breast milk.

It's not uncommon for infants to experience food allergies before they've even eaten real food, because food proteins pass through breast milk. In a normal situation, you know what you've eaten and can single out problem foods and avoid them, in donor milk this isn't an option. Though sadly, even tested donor milk can present this difficulty.

While as a breastfeeding mother I empathize with those that are unable to feed and suffer as causalities of diminished test donor milk supplies, I'd recommend thinking twice before buying milk online from a stranger or even accepting well-thought donations unless the donor is a well-known close relative that has been recently tested for STDs. There are some cases were formula is actually a healthier option.

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