An online initiative to share breast milk is gaining popularity, despite warnings from pediatricians and the federal government. Eats on Feets, a Facebook program started by Montreal resident, Emma Kwasnica, already has dozens of regional sites across Canada, each with 100 to 280 participants.
Health Canada issued a warning against the use of such unregulated breast milk-sharing programs. "There is a potential risk that the milk may be contaminated with viruses such as HIV or bacteria, which can cause food poisoning." The milk can also transmit traces of any prescription or non-prescription drugs the mothers may be taking.
But Kwasnica has defended the safety of her program, arguing that the small, local nature of these milk-sharing groups helps to protect against these dangers.“You can meet this woman for a coffee and see her healthy baby on her hip. The idea is if it’s good enough for her to feed her baby and she’s healthy and her baby’s healthy and you’ve got her bloodwork … you’ll feel OK about using her milk,” she said to Canada.com.
The Canadian Pediatric Society is urging provinces to open human milk banks, suggesting these facilities could save the lives of premature babies whose mothers can’t lactate immediately.
Despite Health Canada’s acknowledgement that breastfeeding is internationally recognized as the best way to feed infants, Canada has only one official breast milk bank, located at BC Women’s Hospital.