If you have never heard of it, it would seem somewhat odd to sell breast milk. However, you’d be surprised at how much of a common practice the sale of breast milk is.

As to the question of whether the sale of breast milk is legal, then yes! It is!

Mothers are increasingly selling extra milk to other mothers who may be having problems producing their own.

Breast milk sale for infants is a highly delicate process that requires extreme care if you are participating in the venture. The milk has to undergo screening procedures to ensure only healthy milk is sold.

This article will take you through the process of selling breast milk, and ensure you get at least $1600 a month if you are not donating it free!

Let’s check it out!

So Why Would People Buy Breast Milk?

a) Health Issues

Health issues are one of the biggest reasons mothers seek to purchase breast milk from other mothers. Some mothers may get a child, but due to their health or life restrictions, feeding the child from their breast milk may be a potential risk to the health and well-being of the baby.

Some mothers may be unable to produce sufficient milk supply for the child. This may be associated with several reasons such as:

• Hormonal or endocrine problems preventing them from producing sufficient milk
• Insufficient glandular tissue, which helps develop milk
• Breast cancer
• Mastectomy or breast augmentation

Some mothers may also be unable to produce any milk for the child; this can be associated with mothers who have adopted an infant child. They will need to feed the child with healthy breast milk, which they couldn’t produce at the time.

Also, although baby formula may be an option for mothers without breast milk, it may lack all the nutrients breast milk provides. Plus, baby formula has come with a lot of cons, which mostly outweigh the pros.

Studies show that a child fed only on formula could grow to have some health issues due to lack of breast milk.

Around 2% of women cannot provide enough breast milk to feed their infants.

According to the world health organization, an infant should be fed on a consistent diet of breast milk for the first two years of their lives. This should be done, with the first six months being the most vital. Solid food should slowly be introduced to the child’s diet as breastfeeding continues, and the child’s teeth start to grow.

b) The Breastfeeding Process

This is another reason a mother may be interested in buying breast milk.

Some mothers find the breastfeeding process painful. Babies feed around twelve times a day; this may be quiet overwhelming for mothers and may cause an unpleasant feeling on the nipple, which may be upsetting for the Mother.

The busy schedule of the Mother may also be a factor in preventing her from feeding the child as per the required number of times per day. She may also develop some stress and anxiety out of the sheer number of times she has to breastfeed.

Other concerns that may prevent the Mother from breastfeeding the child, may be disability. The child may develop some mouth deformities that may prevent him or her from breastfeeding and latching on to the nipple properly.

Other children may acquire health problems such as colic that cause the child to cry for long periods.

All these reasons may necessitate the Mother to buy breast milk.

c) Pumping Breast Milk

When a mother is not feeding her baby, some issues may arise with developing the milk, which may lead to her buying breast milk. To help solve the above problem, pumping breast milk for the child may come in handy.

However, even when pumping your breast milk, it is still possible for the Mother’s milk to run out, as she is not personally feeding the child through suckling, which helps in developing more milk. This is due to the hormonal connection between the child and the Mother in suckling that prompts the development of more milk.

These are more reasons why a mother may choose to buy breast milk.

Why Should You Sell Your Breast Milk?

Apart from reducing wastage for mothers producing excessive milk, the feeling of helping another mother elsewhere is quite satisfying. Plus, you get to earn some extra income on the side.

In case you are unfamiliar with the sale of breast milk, where to sell the breast milk, or how to do it, stay tuned!

According to the American pregnancy association, the healthiest diet you can offer them is breast milk. Apart from the nutrients it comes with, it also helps boost the immune system of the child, preventing them from succumbing to all kinds of diseases.

For a suckling child, they know when to stop suckling after satisfaction. However, children fed on the bottle seem to be unaware of when they are satisfied.

However, as long as you monitor the child’s feeding, this is not a problem, and the child will feed normally. The only downside to bottle-feeding is the potential for the child to overfeed when they are older.

Reasons Mothers Would Sell Breast milk

Mothers understand the necessity of breast milk for children. We have seen mothers breastfeeding children who did not necessarily belong to them.

Apart from the income made from feeding children, a certain satisfaction comes from selling breast milk, as mothers understand that they are helping on a deeper level, and reducing the depression associated with watching a child suffer.

So what would be the main reasons for selling breast milk?

a. Providing necessary nutrition for children

Most mothers who sell their breast milk are not only interested in the income they receive; rather it is satisfying for them to understand that a child somewhere is benefitting from the much-needed nutrition breast milk has

They know that they are providing a potentially healthy future from breast milk that would otherwise have gone to waste.

b. Helping Overwhelmed mothers

There is a particular connection that women, especially those raising children, have.

Each understands what it means to raise a healthy child, and we have seen women come together to assist each other out of the sort of connection mothers have.

This is no different.

Mothers who sell their breast milk understand on a certain level that they are doing it to help out in a much-needed situation.

c. Providing a healthy alternative to unpasteurized milk

Mothers can sell their breast milk in many ways; however, through milk banks, breast milk may be mixed with cow milk without the knowledge of potential buyers.

Through selling directly to mothers, breast milk is given directly without being mixed, ensuring your child gets the best quality of milk.

d. Earn extra income

A mother may have excessive breast milk but may be experiencing some financial trouble; as we all know, raising a child is not cheap!

Through selling her excess breast milk, the Mother will get some extra income, which may come in handy with helping sort out her financial mess.

What are the main places you can sell your breast milk and make around $1600 a month?

1. Only the breast

The site was created with breastfeeding moms in mind. The site was meant to provide a way for moms to work from home selling their milk at competitive prices.

The site was one of the first to be established, and before it, mothers had to post their information on blogs with the hope of attracting customers.

The site was then created, with tips for mothers. It helps mothers and babies get the best milk they truly deserve for their health.

How the site works is such that there is a classified section where you can browse through ads placed by lactating moms, and you get to choose who you see as your best fit.

If you are lactating, you can also place an ad on the site.

You will need to go to the site’s home page and select, ‘place ad,’ list what you are selling, and place the necessary contacts though which other moms can reach you. The site keeps your information safe, and your email will only be seen after you email a potential client back.

The site sells your breast milk at anywhere between $2 and $2.5 per ounce on average. However, at times the price may go higher.

Due to children needing at least 25 to 30 ounces of milk per day, you may end up reaching and surpassing the $1600 mark per month.

2. Craigslist

Selling breast milk on Craigslist is easier compared to other sites, as there are fewer regulations for you to get your ad listed on the site. Plus, you have a lot more flexibility in deciding when and how you will sell your milk.

All you need is to register your account on craigslist and place your ad. You have the power for setting the pricing depending on how you feel.

The only downside for the site is that you can only post an ad locally.

It is advisable to place a couple of ads on the site just to see which resonates most with clients. Plus, how you post the ad will play an essential role in attracting customers.

The ad has to be clear and explain the stage of lactation, which you ae. This is because different stages of milk production produce different types of breast milk due to the nutritional needs of the child at each stage.

You will have to sell an ounce of milk at least $2 or more to be able to make $1600 monthly.

3. Mothers milk co-operative

Mother’s milk co-operative is a milk bank.

To get your milk to this milk bank, it will first go through a screening process to ensure that the milk is in good and healthy condition.

The site, however, will only pay you around $1 per ounce of milk, meaning that for you to reach atheist $1600 a month will require a lot of milk to be sent to the co-operative. This plus tax reduces the price, and may not be as worthwhile as sites like only the breast.

However, if you are lactating excessively, then you can reach the amount, although the payment will come around 90 days after sending the milk to the bank, as they will have to ensure it is safe and healthy for children’s consumption.

4. Breastfeeding moms unite

Breastfeeding moms unite is not a milk bank, rather a market place for you to sell your breast milk to potential clients.

Just like only the breast, the site comes with a classifieds page where you can place an ad for selling your breast milk and wait for potential clients to contact you.

The site is simple enough to use, with helpful guidance on how to go through the selling procedure on the site.

The site is a great place to sell breast milk as prices can reach up to $4 per ounce, meaning that you can make up to $3000 per month, taking into consideration infants can take up to 30 ounces of breast milk per day.

5. Bodybuilders

This group is among the less conventional people to whom you can sell breast milk. However, if the internet is anything to go by, breast milk is increasing in popularity among bodybuilders.

They will buy breast milk from anywhere between $1 and $2.5.

Bodybuilders are known to use many supplements and experimentations on anything they think can add extra calories or muscle to their fiber, and breast milk is no exception. They believe it comes with much-needed nutrients essential for their bodybuilding.

You can sell breast milk to bodybuilders online via several platforms, as all you will need is a good marketing scheme and the right contacts to reach them.

6. Facebook groups

There are several closed Facebook groups where mothers can sell their breast milk. Most of these Facebook groups are closed groups, where you will need to send a request to be allowed to join.

Facebooks groups will help you link up with potential customers and can get your breast milk sold at up to $3 an ounce. That translates to more than $1600 a month.

There are a number of such groups, including human milk for babies. This is quite a popular group with over 2000 members. Buy-sell and donate breast milk is another Facebook group boasting over 5,000 members. Facebook also has open pages such as human milk four human babies global network with more than 80,000likes, where you can find potential clients.

Read more: Where Can You Sell Your Hair Online and Locally: 13 Best Places

Best tips for selling breast milk online

There are certain things you can do as a breast milk seller to increase your market viability and increase the trust of potential buyers.

These measures will convince any buyer as to the purity and superior standards associated with your breast milk.

Screening the Mother via blood work test

It is essential to convince your buyers that you are tested for bloodwork.

You would undergo the same test if you were donating blood. It involves HIV tests, syphilis, hepatitis, and human T-lymphotropic virus

Ensuring you provide the results for these tests gives some level of confidence to the potential buyer.

The test results should be recent and should be provided before commencing on any kind of transaction.

You can use access labs that can do the tests for you after you provide them with proper samples of your blood.

Certification letter from the doctor

Another important thing you should provide to potential buyers is a certified letter from the doctor.

The letter should state the conditions of breast milk for sale.

The letter should state that the milk is free from any kind of contamination, is healthy and fit for consumption by an infant.

It helps reassure the buyer that the seller is healthy, and the milk is safe for the child

You should also be ready to provide previous medical history when needed. This is standard practice at milk banks and should be easy enough to acquire from your doctor.

Medical history is crucial as it shows your track record in terms of your health, meaning you had a healthy pregnancy, and are not recovering from anything major, that may potentially risk the breast milk.

Home pasteurization

It is also important for breast milk sellers to pasteurize the milk.

Pasteurized milk helps keep it safe from contamination that may occur during handling and transportation.

Breast milk can be a breeding ground for bacteria. The milk must be pasteurized before feeding it to the infant.

Pasteurization is something that can be life-threatening for the child if not done and should, therefore, be taken with the seriousness it deserves.

It would also be important to understand the lifestyle of the breast milk seller. As the saying goes, we are what we eat; the seller should inform you what she eats, the medication she uses, and whether they use drugs of any kind.

It will also be imperative to inform the buyer as to how you handle the milk to ensure they are adequately informed as to the level of hygiene involved I handling the breast milk.

Milk purity

The purity of the breast milk is another important factor for buyers.

No one wants his or her breast milk mixed with any other substance.

Most sites make it a condition for breast milk to be pure and free from any kind of mixing, such as cow milk.

The milk should also come from the mothers involved in the transaction as opposed to them acting as brokers.

The sellers should also be healthy, free from drug use, and preferably free from alcohol consumption.

Shipping the breast milk

It is advisable to sell your breast milk locally, like shipping; it involves a lot of preservation, and may become costly.

However, if it becomes necessary to ship the breast milk, ensure there is someone on hand to receive the milk after arriving.

Breast milk should be properly preserved due to its perishable nature. Unless properly reserved, the milk may arrive at its destination already spoilt.

Communication will be key to ensure the buyer is available on the arrival of the breastmilk. Also, the mode of transport and the preservation techniques will come in handy.

It is advised that breast milk should be transported in a cooler with dry ice. Also, ensure it labeled to ensure t is handled with the care it deserved.

Also, ensure you are clear on who will cater to the shipping costs, as they may end up eating your profits, if not properly addressed.

Ensure you keep safe from hackers who may try to get you to send them your breast milk without having confirmed payment on your side. Ensure you get the payment first, and report any suspicious activity to the administrator of the site in use.

Keep in contact with the buyer, and if possible, enable them to track their shipment to ensure you maintain their confidence and keep them reassured as to their package.

Conclusion

Selling breast milk is a sort of win-win for both parties involved, and is a good deed and morally upright one. Mothers not only empathize with each other’s problems, but through this transaction, they also come in to help each other.

However, for buyers of breastmilk online, one must keep prudent, mostly when buying the product via craigslist or social media platforms, as no one has qualified the breast milk. Communication will come in handy in such scenarios, and they should be familiar with what they should ask of the breast milk seller before commencing the transaction.

Finally, congratulations on your child, for both the seller and buyer. May they have a healthy and successful life!