Is Buying Breast Milk Online Safe? The Answer Will Stun You

Breast milk is now available online for purchase and on Feb. 21, reports about it not being safe is a concern that every mother should be aware of. Since the rise of online shopping, breast milk has been included in some parents' virtual shopping cart. Hence, little do they know, it poses dangers and risks.

In a report published by WTSP, they said that consumption of breast milk from the Internet could contain bacteria that might be bad for infants. Reports like this suddenly create awareness to the public on the dangers of buying breast milk products on the Internet.

An investigation lead by "Inside Edition" has exposed this ongoing situation for both consumers and sellers of online breast milk. What they did is bought breast milk from eight different sellers and had a breast milk expert check it if those samples contain harmful bacteria.

Dr. David Newburg was assigned to test those gathered online breast milk and found that half of the samples have "gram negative bacteria," which could result to infections. Hence, it is not advisable to use breast milk online for babies.

Dr. Newburg specifically reported that 87% of the samples given to him were possibly contaminated with harmful bacteria -- making the risk higher for babies to experience infection should their body take in any milk bought online.

Café Mom also reported this issue with a confirmation from the FDA about the possible dangers of breast milk being sold online could cause babies, especially the newborn ones. The FDA clearly warned consumers to not feed their child with breast milk that are found on the Internet or from random mothers selling their milk. There is a still a way to buy breast milk that won't cause danger to a child and that is through the help of certified human milk banks. Places like this are supervised by health-care professionals, which is why the breast milk they provide are sterilized and safe.

The Human Milk Banking Association of North America is among the institutions that the FDA is recommending to parents who are looking for breast milk.