So Much Breast Milk that She is Selling It Online

(News Today) - Many mothers struggle to produce enough breast milk to feed a growing baby. But when Toni Ebdon gave birth she found herself with so much she decided to bottle it up and sell it on the internet.

Miss Ebdon got the idea when a friend laughed that she had enough breast milk to open her own dairy. Although it was meant as a joke, Miss Ebdon took the idea to heart - and put her excess breast milk up for sale on the internet.

Three months later, she has sold 30 ounces - or one and a half pints. She has ten regular customers who pay £15 for 4oz - 237 ml - of her breast milk.

'I haven't made loads of money but I intend to carry on selling it until it dries up,' she said.

After giving birth to baby David, Miss Ebdon said she found herself with so much breast milk that her breasts became heavy and painful. She started using a breast pump to filter off the excess and stored it in the freezer before putting an ad on the website Gumtree to see if anyone wanted to buy it.

Miss Ebson had expected that mothers who could not breastfeed themselves would be the only ones interested. But to her surprise, she has been inundated with emails from men.

'I tend not to ask too many questions or pry into people's private lives,' Miss Ebdon, a single mother, said.

'All communication prior to the sale is done via email. Then I meet the customer in person to hand over the milk.

'They can have it fresh or store it in the freezer for up to one month.'

Many of the men say they want to drink the breast milk to maintain good health and fight off illnesses.

Studies have shown breast milk can be used to maintain general good health and could even be a miracle cure for adult illnesses including cancer and diabetes. It contains antibiotic properties which helps ward off illnesses, as well as alpha-lactalbumin, which can help in the battle against cancer.

Breast milk also contains the acne-fighting property lauric acid, as well as oligosaccharides which can help cure chronic diarrhoea. The 26-year-old said she found it hard to make ends meet after giving birth to baby David in March this year.

'Because I'd only been in my job for a few months before I gave birth, I wasn't entitled to full maternity pay,' she said.

'My baby's father is still on the scene but we're not living together and he doesn't have the means to support us financially.'

It takes Miss Ebdon said it took her between 15 minutes and an hour to produce an ounce of breast milk. So far, her biggest order has been for 12oz - nearly two thirds of a pint.

Miss Ebdon said she always fed her baby first to ensure he got the best milk, but added: 'There's plenty more to come.'

The health support worker fell pregnant in June but split up with partner Gareth Ebdon, 29, shortly afterwards.

'I'll certainly continue selling my milk for as long as is possible, and if I had a second child I would do the same,' she said.

'But next time I think I'd use an electric pump, as it's much quicker.'

Source : kompas.com

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