ABC news doing story tonight on donating milk

[jeanine123]

Unfortunately it's on the International Breastmilk Project and the milk they're donating to Africa through Prolacta.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3749288&page=1

[bobbirs]

TIVoing it!!!!

[MKJA]

'll be putting that on my DVR list!

[MaryJaneLouise]

Please be sure to read this in conjunction with that story.

http://www.breastfeedingsymbol.org/c...-milk-project/

.

[bobbirs]

Originally Posted by MaryJaneLouise

Please be sure to read this in conjunction with that story.

http://www.breastfeedingsymbol.org/c...-milk-project/

.

Wow that is alarming.....


But I was happy to see a nursing baby during the report!!!!!

Bobbi

[songbh]

This whole IBMP issue makes me completely nuts. How can any reasonably well-educated person with even the clumsiest grasp of economics see this story and not wonder, "What, they don't have lactating women in Africa??"

It's such a throwback to colonial "white-man's burden" thinking, too. "We're good people, not oppressors -- it's not our fault our good deeds make us a pile of money and keep the unfortunates dependent on us."

[MamaBear1976]

I'm so happy to read this thread. It warms my heart so many of you are smarter than the IBMP marketing machine. Gives me hope for our future...

(Btw, as a direct result of this thread, I blogged about the ABC News coverage of the IBMP. Thank you to the OP for the heads up.)

[Da WIC Lady]

Originally Posted by songbh

This whole IBMP issue makes me completely nuts. How can any reasonably well-educated person with even the clumsiest grasp of economics see this story and not wonder, "What, they don't have lactating women in Africa??"

It's such a throwback to colonial "white-man's burden" thinking, too. "We're good people, not oppressors -- it's not our fault our good deeds make us a pile of money and keep the unfortunates dependent on us."

And what about orphaned AIDS babies in our own country? I guess formula is good enough for them, or is that where the other 3/4 of the donated milk is going to from Prolacta at a tidy profit and even more expense of our government?

Anna

[ksera05]

At least they only mentioned Prolacta once?

[jeanine123]

Originally Posted by MamaBear1976

(Btw, as a direct result of this thread, I blogged about the ABC News coverage of the IBMP. Thank you to the OP for the heads up.)

You're welcome. I found out about it from another source, they were starting to get all fuzzy about how wonderful it was that this organization was sending milk to Africa. Then I posted who's behind IBMP and that they're for profit and funny enough, the discussion has kind of died from there. Hopefully it made them stop and think some.

[MamaBear1976]

Originally Posted by jeanine123

You're welcome. I found out about it from another source, they were starting to get all fuzzy about how wonderful it was that this organization was sending milk to Africa. Then I posted who's behind IBMP and that they're for profit and funny enough, the discussion has kind of died from there. Hopefully it made them stop and think some.

You rock!!

:

[MamaBear1976]

Originally Posted by songbh

This whole IBMP issue makes me completely nuts. How can any reasonably well-educated person with even the clumsiest grasp of economics see this story and not wonder, "What, they don't have lactating women in Africa??"

It's such a throwback to colonial "white-man's burden" thinking, too. "We're good people, not oppressors -- it's not our fault our good deeds make us a pile of money and keep the unfortunates dependent on us."

OMG, this is so brilliant, I'm giggling like a little schoolgirl! Thanks for the laugh!

[MamaBear1976]

Originally Posted by Da WIC Lady

And what about orphaned AIDS babies in our own country? I guess formula is good enough for them, or is that where the other 3/4 of the donated milk is going to from Prolacta at a tidy profit and even more expense of our government?

Anna

Wow. That's an excellent question.

[songbh]

Originally Posted by Da WIC Lady

And what about orphaned AIDS babies in our own country? I guess formula is good enough for them, or is that where the other 3/4 of the donated milk is going to from Prolacta at a tidy profit and even more expense of our government?

Anna

Not just our government's expense -- our private insurers' expense as well ... which means, of course, that the American people pay for that $3.50/oz Prolacta-processed human milk one way or the other -- as taxes or as insurance premiums.

But, of course, many babies who need donor milk just plain don't get it, because the economics work against them.

And until we succeed in convincing enough people that artificial baby milk is NOT just as good/almost the same/the best that most babies can expect ... the political will to CHANGE THE ECONOMICS will never arise.

[MamaBear1976]

Originally Posted by songbh

Not just our government's expense -- our private insurers' expense as well ... which means, of course, that the American people pay for that $3.50/oz Prolacta-processed human milk one way or the other -- as taxes or as insurance premiums.

But, of course, many babies who need donor milk just plain don't get it, because the economics work against them.

And until we succeed in convincing enough people that artificial baby milk is NOT just as good/almost the same/the best that most babies can expect ... the political will to CHANGE THE ECONOMICS will never arise.

Song,

The price Prolacta charges for regular pasteurized human milk isn't $3.50/ounce. It's ~$35/ounce. And for their human milk fortifier (which is basically evaporated human milk -- like evaporated cow milk you buy in the cans at the supermarket, but human milk and not in a can but in a small syringe), that will cost you $184.83/ounce. Ouch! Talk about price-gouging!

HMBANA milk banks are the ones that cost $3.50/ounce. HMBANA milk banks are the ones that are non-profit. (ETA: The price covers the cost of pasteurizing and processing the milk, and other operational expenses of the non-profit milk banks, like salaries, I would imagine. Even so, I think the price/ounce for HMBANA milk bank milk is less than what it costs to process, according to many articles I've read.)

And you're right about the economics of the issue... If more women were supported and encouraged in lactation and if human milk were treated as something that all babies need to eat (but that NO ONE should make a profit off of providing -- except maybe the lactating women), the whole world would be a better place.

How to make that happen? One little bit at a time...

[Da WIC Lady]

Originally Posted by songbh

Not just our government's expense -- our private insurers' expense as well ... which means, of course, that the American people pay for that $3.50/oz Prolacta-processed human milk one way or the other -- as taxes or as insurance premiums.

But, of course, many babies who need donor milk just plain don't get it, because the economics work against them.

And until we succeed in convincing enough people that artificial baby milk is NOT just as good/almost the same/the best that most babies can expect ... the political will to CHANGE THE ECONOMICS will never arise.

Well, AIDS automatically (if the parent's income is low enough) qualifies children for SSI (and Medicaid ), and it would be the government covering orphans, who would be wards of the state and eligible for Medicaid. So, the government would be picking up the tab on any donor milk provided, not private insurance. Although, it seems to be more uncommon for those affluent enough for private insurance who are HIV+ to be having babies, so I don't think that it would impact so heavily on the private companies. In any case, the IBMP isn't what it started out as before this corporate "sponsorship" and wouldn't be anything that I would want to participate in. Milkshare, on the other hand, is something I'd be very interested in, and have pointed a few moms that I've run into that have legitimate medical reasons they are not able to breastfeed but cannot afford it through the milk banks.

Anna

[mamadelbosque]

Most people on medicaid are on "managed care plans" - ie private insurance. Its GOOD private insurance, but its private nonetheless. I know this cause' were on it!!