Moms In Need Connect Through Breast Milk Sharing Program On Facebook

Facebook, the free social networking site, has gotten a bad reputation due to censoring photos and images of breastfeeding while allowing many adult themed photos to pass. One mother, who has fought about her own breastfeeding photos, used the experience to begin a milk sharing program for mothers who need breast milk donations.

Emma Kwasnica has had her account deleted four times due to Facebook staff declaring photos of her breastfeeding as obscene. Determined to help normalize breastfeeding, Kwasnica decided to put her energy to help breastfeeding mothers and infants that needed additional milk. Together with Arizona midwife, Shell Walker, the network “Eats on Feets” was created.

“Eats on Feets”, a play off of “Meals on Wheels”, seeks to connect mothers together so they can help each other. Women who need supplemental breast milk can use the site to find nearby mothers who have extra milk to spare. The traditional practice of milk sharing has been happening for as long as humans have been around, however now it is often hard to get. Societal pressure against wet nursing, as well as the high cost of buying milk from human milk banks, has made it difficult for many women in need to find enough milk.

Breastmilk from another mother is considered the superior alternative to being able to breastfeed exclusively. Rather than using infant formulas to make up for a lack of milk, milk sharing allows mothers to continue giving their infants breastmilk.

“Milk from another human in any manner that’s safe from disease is the logical and healthiest next best,” says Miriam Labbok, a professor of maternal and child health at the University of North Carolina and director of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute.

Most women in the US begin breastfeeding, however few are able to continue to a year. Much of this is caused by road blocks that can get in the way of a healthy breastfeeding relationship. Being able to supply milk to another mother who is facing a hard time breastfeeding is an important way to provide support and continue looking after the health of the baby. – Summer, staff writer

Related Articles:

• Canadian Paediatric Society Pushes For More Human Milk Banks
• Researchers Find Ways to Help Women Prolong Breastfeeding by Staying Smoke-Free
• Less Than A Fourth Of Moms Breastfeed Long Enough In US
• Is Low Milk Supply A State Of Mind?

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