FDA not happy with sharing breastmilk

Seems there is nothing the FDA don't want to get their nose into. I think it's pretty sad that this is being discouraged rather than encouraged, especially in the US where a study was published saying 1000 lives a year could be saved if women were to breastfeed. (second link to cnn report of study).
My cynical side thinks that some formula company probably had their hand in this.

link to stuff article

Cnn report

Tbh I would be encouraging using Milk banks too rather than just getting milk from someone you may barely know, or over the internet, you don't know how the milk has been handled etc, stored... At least with a milk bank you will have some reassurance that it has been stored, etc properly.

If they were selling the milk I would have the same concerns but I don't think women who go out their way to pump and give the milk away for free would be alcholics or drugs addicts.

And also I think if the authorities really had concerns about the health of babies they would be helping build up milk banks not saying to use formula instead.

I agree, if they charge doesn't mean they're trying to pay for a habit they have, a woman may charge for the time it takes to express for example, especially to get a good amount, some people can express quite quickly - others; it takes a little longer!

And it's very true about being from all walks of life, we watched my friends mum - had her own business - just all of a sudden started drinking and drinking and drinking...
Another friend her mum simply had enough and started acting 'young' again.

Yep via a milk bank would be preferred but they hardly have enough to serve premmies let alone everyone else. I would think if you were gonna get donated milk you would have a good chat to the person first though and ask about drinking and so on, most people are pretty good judges of character.

The women doing this don't have the choice between milk bank and random milk donor, they have the choice between formula and random milk donor and I think that instead of the authorities finding ways to help and make it safer, i.e extra funding so they can use milk banks or some other type of screening, maybe screening the women that donate or something would be preferable to just saying don't do it, especially when breastfeeding is best and their own paeds are saying that it could save 1000 lives a year.

Just out of interest (and probably a really dumb question ) but ARE there any milk banks in NZ?

sorry i havent read it all but why do you assume a formula company is behind it?maybe they just mean what they say? i never understand why it is assumed that there are ulterior motives from formula places.. :( formula isn't evil!!:( (I don't want to debate it I just don't understand why people assume that?

but i guess that is also coloured by my opinion i have no problem giving formula to my children and no interest in using or giving to a milk bank..

Personally I'd say its bollocks that formula companies would be behind it. Given the bad rates of BF in the US women sharing breast milk is hardly going to affect them.

Yes in this country that is true lil_nic9 but in the us they still give out samples in the hospitals to new mums and have no advertising restrictions.

I would think they have thought pretty hard about what they are doing before they go the donor route, after all going to the supermarket and buying a tin of formula would be far easier for them.

The FDA is extremely corrupt that's why I wouldn't be surprised if they were paid to say it, and lets not forgot the first article I linked to was stuff so this 'advice' didn't just stay within the US it's most likely gone around the world, how many women would have glimpsed at that and been put of from ever using or donating milk? That is very sad, in my opinion.

Lil_Nic9 wrote: I haven't had any alcohol whilst BFing - mainly because I am unsure of how much is too much and if I'd need to express next feed and have one ready to go etc, ... but I know other mums who have a glass of wine with dinner and whilst baby sleeps over night they don't express. And others who don't bother expressing at all.

just a wee aside,how i understand it is that the alcohol stays in your milk like it does your bloodstream. so once it is out of your bloodstream, it will be out of your breastmilk. Therefore if you drink, and you are not planning on BF within the time it would normally take to be completely sober again, then you don't need to pump. (someone correct me if I'm wrong)