As much as I support mamas helping mamas and I’m 200% for breastfeeding, I just can’t find it in me to understand these lengths that women go to for vegan breast milk. Alicia Silverstone has used her blog, The Kind Life, to set up Kind Mama Milk Share for vegan moms to connect and donate breast milk.
Personally I think its great that women will drive and ship breast milk from far and wide to help other women in need. I really do. And I also understand that women may want to implement a specific diet regime for themselves to follow while breastfeeding.
That sounds all well and good, but when you are getting the milk from an internet source instead of by your own means or a donor facility, this endeavor becomes a whole lot riskier. Since breast milk can contain bacteria and viruses, even HIV, is getting vegan breast milk from an unchecked internet source really worth it? You really need to know who and where your baby’s milk is coming from.
Truth be told—well, at least I believe—it’s good for kids to get sick and fall down and maybe its okay for them to drink some breast milk that came from a donor facility that may have a trace of animal protein. I know it might not be ideal for some, but I don’t know how I can trust vegan breast milk coming from a blog forum run by a celebrity.
Doesn’t it sound weird to anyone—I mean—an unregulated internet-based milk sharing forum? There has to be some sort of hygiene code that comes along with this. At least milk banks screen donors and you can even find vegan donors at most milk banks.
What do you fellow BUSTies think? I’m willing to listen and am open to being enlightened, but as of right now I just don’t get it.
Source via The Kind Life
Photographs via The Washington Post and NY Mag.
