The breastmilk market

Serial

A mixed media illustration depicting a mother breastfeeding. The mother is simultaneously feeding a child and using a breast pump. She is surrounded by fridges of baby bottles filled with milk, with tiny figures of people moving the bottles around. In the background we see stars, depicting that it is nighttime.

A Freezer full of breastmilk. © Vicky Scott for Wellcome Collection.

Six months after the birth of her first child, journalist Alev Scott found she had a freezer full of breastmilk she’d earnestly pumped but that her baby would never need. What should she do with it?

As Alev investigated how to donate to her local hospital, she discovered a busy contemporary market for human milk. Her initial quest became an eye-opening journey as she explored the ethics of buying and sharing milk.

In this six-part series, Alev explores the multiple ways breastmilk has been traded across time: from professional wet-nurses and cross-feeding friends, non-profit milk banks and commercial breastmilk businesses, to the online marketplaces where buyers are often men purchasing for sexual pleasure.

A freezer full of breastmilk

When new mum Alev Scott began pumping her milk between feeds, she soon found she was freezing more breastmilk than her baby would ever need. So Alev began to investigate ways to share her oversupply.

Sharing breastmilk with parents

Alev Scott donated her frozen breastmilk to a hospital milk bank, but she was curious about other routes. Here she explores commercial operations and informal private arrangements.

Trading breastmilk with men

When Alev Scott advertised her milk for sale, she was inundated with messages from men keen to satisfy sexual fetishes. Here she finds out who they are, and why women sell to them.

The work of wet-nursing

Many of us know that in the past, babies were sometimes nourished by wet-nurses. But, perhaps surprisingly, the practice continues today – and the milk recipients are not only babies.

Communities of cross-feeders

A desire to help leads some women to “cross-feed” – breastfeed other parents’ babies for free. Alev Scott delves into the emotions behind this altruistic act.

Mixed feelings and milk siblings

A friend in need has a profound effect on Alev’s feelings about women sharing their milk in this final instalment of ‘The Breastmilk Market’.

About the contributors

Alev Scott

Author

Alev Scott is a journalist and author. Previously based in Istanbul and Athens, she has written about politics and culture in the Mediterranean region for the Financial Times, the Guardian, Harper’s Magazine and Newsweek, among others. Her books are ‘Turkish Awakening’, ‘Ottoman Odyssey’ and ‘Power and the People’.

Vicky Scott

Illustrator

Vicky Scott is a Sheffield-based freelance illustrator who specialises in creating colourful and eye-catching mixed-media collages. Her work is inspired by Art Deco, 1960s psychedelia, mid-20th-century travel posters, and the natural world. To date, she has been commissioned to illustrate for a diverse range of clients including Microsoft, Cheltenham Festivals, the Postal Museum, Waitrose and the RSPB.