Mother-to-Mother Milk Sharing

Breastmilk is nature's normal, optimal food for infants. Exclusive breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed a baby until at least six months of age, and breastfeeding until at least two years of age and beyond provides children with immune protection and nutrition.

But what to do if a parent can't produce milk or can't produce enough milk? In the case of a woman who is attempting to breastfeed after giving birth, the first answer should be to seek help from a lactation consultant, as it is extremely rare that women cannot produce enough milk for their babies. However, there are certain conditions that make it difficult for women to breastfeed, and of course there are also situations where the biological mother is absent.

The answer that first comes to mind in these situations for many people is commercial formula, which comes with many health risks.

A new initiative, Eats on Feets, which is a take 'Meals on Wheels,' started by Emma Kwasnica, a Canadian mom, is trying to make breastmilk available to all babies through woman-to-woman milk sharing networks. The idea is simple, but radical, with the potential to revolutionize feeding of infants who cannot get breastmilk or enough breastmilk from their parents.

Create facebook pages. Invite women to join. Use the facebook page as a platform for this network of women to communicate about the need for donated breastmilk for a particular infant, so that women who have breastmilk to donate can connect with the parents who need the breastmilk. That's it. No intermediaries. No money. Just the community of women supporting each other.

To find out more about Eats on Feets Yukon and to join the network of Yukon women, go to the facebook page: www.facebook.com/eatsonfeetsyukon.