Learn how to sell your breast milk for money. Believe it or not, the milk that you use to feed your baby can feed hundreds of other babies while simultaneous making you money.
There’s a market for purchasing and selling breast milk. Why? Because there are disadvantaged mothers and babies worldwide that could make good use of that milk.
Selling your milk is a win-win situation. Women get the milk they need for their babies and you make money that can serve to be a useful source of income.
Throughout this article, you’ll get a plethora of reasons as to why you should donate. You’ll also get a step-by-step guide as to why you should give up some of your breast milk for compensation and where you can donate. All the research you need is available right here.
Let’s dive in!
Why Do People Buy Breast Milk?
You may wonder why anybody would need to purchase breast milk in the first place, considering any pregnant woman would make her own milk.
However, selling your milk can be useful for people in various circumstances, such as:
Moms with low or no milk production
There are various factors that can affect the amount of milk that a woman can produce when breast-feeding. If the amount they are making is insufficient, then they’ll need to get some another way.
Some variables that can affect the amount of breast milk that a woman produces, such as:
- Premature birth
- Maternal obesity
- Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure
- Poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetes
Some other examples are:
- fostered/ adopted babies
- babies with single dads
- babies with mothers who had a double mastectomy
- babies with mothers with infectious illnesses
- babies with mothers taking certain medications
Others
Interestingly enough, there’s another demographic that’s looking to drink your milk other than babies. No, not animals…
Well, it’s actually adult humans. Yeah, that’s right. There is an increasing number of people that are drinking human milk. At first glance, this may seem weird or gross, but keep in mind that we drink cow’s milk. At least we’re coming back and keeping it to the species now.
Athletic men are the main group of non-infantile people ingesting female’s breast milk. Many men claim that it gives them an extra boost of energy for their workouts. Men with poor health also claim that it’s a sort of medicine for them.
This may seem off, but there is some degree of sense to it. For example, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service explains that breast milk has an abundance of nutrients, antibodies, and other useful substances.
Breast milk has the perfect amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein, hence why it’s one of the factors that make up the foundation of a baby’s growth and why it’s easy for them to digest. This all explains why the American Academy of Pediatrics says that it’s essential to continue breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby’s life.
However, in regards to grown men, there’s not much evidence suggesting that it’ll help them in terms of growth. For example, the benefit that human milk has is necessary for babies, but not so much for adults. Like, the immunoglobulins that serve as infection-fighters present in milk are required for babies are already in the bodies of adults.
Regardless, grown men are looking to purchase milk. Now, whether you are comfortable with selling to them or not is entirely up to you. You should never feel pressured to let anybody who you don’t want to sell to purchase your milk. Your breast milk is yours, and only yours.
Is It Safe To Buy Breast Milk From Strangers?
It can definitely be safe to purchase milk from strangers, as long as you are purchasing it from a reliable source. Receiving milk from a random woman on the street isn’t the same as going to a certified milk bank or a trustworthy platform.
To provide full disclosure, nothing is 100% trustworthy. You may encounter scammers online that are only looking to get free milk or your information without paying you. Therefore, you should be smart about who you are selling to.
If you’re too ambitious in your pricing, you’ll be more likely to encounter scammers who’ll claim that they’ll give you a good amount of money per ounce. Keep in mind that anything that seems too good to be true likely is!
How Much Can You Make Selling Breast Milk?
Of course, when you hear that you can sell your breast milk, the question that comes to mind is “But, how much can I really make from peddling my breast milk?” Well, think of it this way. On a daily basis, babies ingest between about 19 to 30 ounces of breast milk.
Calculate by multiplying the number of ounces a baby would drink by how much you chose to sell your breast milk per ounce (probably about $1-$4). That could be how much you make from just one donor. Depending on how much you produce, your pricing, and how often you sell, you can actually make close to $23,000 annually by providing milk.
I don’t know about your opinion, but that seems pretty good! That may not be able to be your only source of income, but it can definitely serve as an effortless second job.
What a great way to earn some passive income, am I right?
Is Selling Breast Milk Worth It?
Whether or not selling breast milk is “worth it” depends on what your opinion is and how you go about the process.
We think it’s worth it. While your profit may be stifled a bit if you have to pay for shipping costs for the milk or buy containers to keep the milk safe and fresh, you’ll still make a considerable amount of money.
You’ll make more of a profit selling in person because there won’t be as many expenses required on your part. However, you’ll maximize your sales if you do broad selling rather than restricting it to buyers that live in the area.
Where To Sell Breast Milk
Sell Breast Milk Online
To sell your breast milk, consider joining a milk community. Milk communities are essentially organizations aimed at getting milk for babies in need.
First, you’ll want to research any online milk communities that meet your interests.
With this method, you can make a decent amount of money. Babies need about 19 to 30 ounces of breast milk daily, which means that you can make close to $23,000 annually by providing milk.
These sites function by having you post ads that basically tell women while your breast milk is a great option.
Register
When you’ve found a community that you think is good, it’s time to register, as the majority of the sites will require that you become a member prior to being able to post. This ensures that the posts remain private, relevant, and spam-free.
Create a Profile
Next, you’ll create a profile. When completing this step, make sure to insert any information that would affect anyone’s decision to buy milk. For example, include anything related to your health history. Also add any unique dietary habits, such as
- gluten-free
- keto
- vegan
- plant-based
Also, add how long you have been producing milk. And, probably one of the most critical pieces of information, add the system you use to store and transport your milk. This process is up to the users, so advertising a good milk transportation process and overall being healthy and building up good business will get you sales.
The best way to store and transport your milk is to freeze it and package it with dry ice. This method ensures that the milk stays fresh.
Another good thing to add to your profile is any past references. This means that anybody who has bought or just received milk from you in the past can provide testimony that everything ran smoothly.
You should get a health screening from a doctor and provide evidence. Meet with your doctor and explain why you need the health screening, and they will be happy to help you out.
For proof, they can quickly email or print records for you. Even though it’s usually not required, it will provide great comfort to potential customers that they’re getting quality milk and that you’re responsible.
However, keep in mind that records often have sensitive information on them, such as your last name, social security number, and address. You should black out this information because it could fall into the hands of the wrong person.
In fact, it’s a good idea to utilize a brand new email address. This one will be specifically for receiving and sending mail to and from potential buyers. Therefore, you can keep this business separate from the remainder of your life and you’re way less likely to miss any messages from interested customers.
Market Yourself
Now, it’s time to create ads for your breast milk. You’ll have to put a little effort into the process, as it’s not as simple as having a milk bank process it for you.
A tip is to make yourself seem relatable. Many moms will want to purchase from women like themselves or women that have babies that are similar to theirs. You can share information about or pictures of your own babies (make sure to keep them appropriate).
Just like in your profile, you should explain in your ad how you package your milk. Include information like:
Who is paying the cost for shipping? You or the buyer? Of course, people will be more willing to buy if you cover it, but it may take away from your overall profit.
Do you freeze your milk? You most definitely should do so to keep it from spoiling.
Do you do overnight shipping? While more expensive, you definitely should to maintain freshness.
Are you available for in-person transaction completion? This is probably the best way to get sales. If you don’t have to ship and can instead deliver it yourself, this is great for both parties. Now, while this method is efficient, if you decide to meet somebody in person to provide milk, you should not submit your home address or drive to their house.
Even if it’s less convenient, you should meet at a location that is public during daytime hours. Therefore, people will be around just in case.
Also, if you have resignations in regards to who you’ll sell to, now is the time to say it. For example, you may want to establish that you’re only selling milk to babies and not adult men or women. Make sure to may any preferences you have clear and concise.
Also, keep note that it’s essential that you respond quickly to any correspondence that you receive from interested purchasers. Many women and men are eager to purchase nice and fresh breast milk. Therefore, reacting as promptly as possible will maximize your odds of selling.
Store And Transport the Breast Milk
Once you’ve completed a sale, you should now package and send the milk. There will be regulations on the site telling you how to do so, but this is how you should do it:
Store the milk in sterile, individual bags. All the bags you have should be weight and then labeled based on how many ounces they weigh. Then place the pumped milk into the fridge or freezer with half an hour of extracting it.
Your milk shouldn’t be in the cold for more than five days or in the freezer for over two weeks, or it may go bad. Therefore, you should send it to the buyer immediately.
If you’re completing a face-to-face transaction, then you should provide it to the buyer in a cooler that’s lined with ice. But, if you’re doing overnight shipping, use dry ice for packaging it.
It’s important to note that you should never EVER “top” your milk off with any other dairy, even bovine milk. If a baby with an allergy comes across your milk, it can prove to be fatal.
Don’t worry about any pasteurization, as whoever is purchasing the milk will be responsible for those steps.
Only The Breast
A famous example of an online community is “Only The Breast.” Only The Breast is a pioneer in regards to safe services for purchasing and selling milk. On their website, the mother that created the service, along with her friend and husband, explains, “Until we made OnlyTheBreast.com, the only way to buy or sell breast milk was by posting your personal info on blogs, which is never deleted. We figured that there has to be a better way so we looked and looked and could not find a suitable place that is clean safe and private, and easy .”
How it works: It’s essentially a version of Craigslist on which only breast milk is advertised.
Women can post classified ads for their milk. Most women on the platform sell for $2.50 per ounce, but you can also sell your milk in bulk. However, they warn that asking for more than $1 an ounce can provoke scammers.
Here are their tips on how to avoid scams.
They suggest only facilitating transactions through PayPal, a safe and secure service.
Milk Banks
A human milk bank or a breast milk bank is a facility in which breast milk is collected (sometimes through purchasing) for future donation.
Here, the milk is screened, processed, and dispensed prior to being given to anybody for drinking.
The milk comes from nursing mothers who aren’t biologically related to the infant that will be receiving it.
First, find a milk bank that you think you’d like to join. Some of the available banks will only allow for compensation-free donations. However, others will pay $1+ for every ounce of breast milk you provide. Some banks will only accept in-person donations, while others will accept frozen, shipped milk.
Make sure to do research about your options before choosing a bank to donate to.
Great options for milk banks can be found at the Human Milk Banking Association of North America website. Here are all the available locations and the contact information (Canada & US):
CANADA
ALBERTA
NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank
#160 – 6712 Fisher Street, SE
Calgary, AL T2H 2A7 Canada
Phone: 1-403-475-6455
BRITISH COLUMBIA
BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank
BC Women’s Lactation Services
4500 Oak Street, IU 50
Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1 Canada
Phone: 604-875-2282
ONTARIO
Rogers Hixon Ontario Human Milk Bank
Mount Sinai Hospital
600 University Ave., Rm. 18-252
Toronto, ON M5G 1X5 Canada
Phone: 416-586-4800 Ext. 3053
UNITED STATES
ALABAMA
107 Walter Davis Drive
Birmingham, AL 35209
Phone: 205-942-8911
CALIFORNIA
1887 Monterey Road, Suite 110
San Jose, CA 95112
Phone: 408-998-4550
COLORADO
A program of Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Foundation
5394 Marshall Street, Suite 400
Arvada, CO 80002
Phone: 303-869-1888
FLORIDA
8669 Commodity Circle
Suite 490
Orlando, FL 32819
Phone: 407-248-5050
ILLINOIS
Mothers’ Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes
1691 Elmhurst Road
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
Phone: 847-262-5134
INDIANA
5060 E. 62nd Street, Suite 128
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Phone: 317-536-1670
IOWA
UI Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Food and Nutrition Services
119 2nd Street, Suite 400
Coralville, IA 52241
Phone: 319-384-9929
LOUISIANA
Mothers’ Milk Bank of Louisiana
2700 Napoleon Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70115
Phone: 504-703-6455
MASSACHUSETTS
377 Elliot Street
Newton Upper Falls, MA 02464
Phone: 617-527-6263
MICHIGAN
601 John Street
Suite N1300
Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Phone: 269-341-6146
MISSISSIPPI
Mothers’ Milk Bank of Mississippi
2001 Airport Road, Suite 204
Flowood, MS 39232
Phone: 601-939-5504
MISSOURI
Heart of America Mothers’ Milk Bank
At Saint Luke’s Hospital
4401 Wornall Road
Kansas City, MO 64111
Phone: 816-932-4888
MONTANA
734 Kensington Ave.
Missoula, MT 59801
Phone: 406-531-6789
NEW YORK
401 Columbus Ave.
Valhalla, New York 10595
Office: 212-956-6455
NORTH CAROLINA
1900 Kildaire Farm Road
Cary, NC 27518
Phone: 919-350-8599
OHIO
4850 E. Main Street, Suite #140
Columbus, OH 43213
Phone: 614-566-0630
OKLAHOMA
901 N Lincoln Blvd., Suite #330
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
Phone: 405-297-5683
OREGON
417 SW 117th Ave., Suite #105
Portland, OR 97225
Phone: 503-469-0955
PENNSYLVANIA
34th and Civic Center Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Phone: 267-425-1662
Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank
3127 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Phone: 412-281-4400
SOUTH CAROLINA
Mother’s Milk Bank of South Carolina
Medical University of South Carolina
2575 Elms Center Rd, Suite 201
Charleston, SC 29406
Phone: 843-792-5415
TEXAS
5925 Dillard Circle
Austin, TX 78752
Phone: 512-494-0800
Mothers’ Milk Bank of North Texas
7617 Benbrook Parkway
Fort Worth, TX 76126
Phone: 817-810-0071
UTAH
Mountain West Mothers’ Milk Bank
2995 S. West Temple Suite C
South Salt Lake, UT 84115
Phone: 877-367-9091
VIRGINIA
The King’s Daughters Milk Bank
The Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters
400 Gresham Drive, Suite 106
Norfolk, VA 23507
Phone: 757-668-6455
DEVELOPING MILK BANKS
Héma-Québec’s Public Mothers’ Milk Bank
4045 Côte-Vertu Boulevard
Montréal, QC H4R 2W7 Canada
Phone: 514-832-5000
Human Milk Repository of New Mexico
2940 San Joaquin Ave SE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106
Phone: 505-750-0833
Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies
2525 Nevada Av. No., Suite 304
Golden Valley, Minnesota 55427
Phone: 763-546-8051
Mothers’ Milk Bank of Tennessee
2201 Murphy Avenue, Suite 207
Nashville, TN 37203
Phone: 615-933-8877
9300 Campus Pt Dr?
La Jolla, CA 92121
Phone: 858-249-1717
Once you’ve chosen a milk bank, you’ll need to apply for a milk bank membership. You usually don’t need to pay anything to join. However, sometimes, you’ll be required to provide a set amount of free milk, such as 100 ounces, before you can receive compensation for your donations.
Most memberships can be applied for online. Platforms will ask for specific information, including:
- Your personal health history
- Information about your milk production
- Your prescription drug history
- Diet habits
You may also need to participate in a brief telephone interview with the milk bank before proceeding with the rest of the process.
Keep in mind that milk banks are looking for donors who are in good health. Women who aren’t on many medications and or supplements are their go-to group. They are also looking for women who are able to undergo blood testing.
Here’s how they ensure that they are only getting quality and healthy milk:
You will be thoroughly examined and screened and blood tested before you begin donating breast milk. Therefore, if you know that you are a user of illegal drugs, a smoker, tobacco user, or heavy alcohol drinker, you shouldn’t expect to be accepted as a donator.
Additionally, if you’ve undergone a blood transfusion in the past four months or had an organ/tissue transplant in the past year, you’re ineligible. If you’ve tested positive for certain STIs (HIV, HTLV, hepatitis B or C, or syphilis), you won’t be accepted as a donor.
The reason that there are so many restrictions is that the milk that is provided to milk banks often go to babies who were born prematurely or of a high-risk status. Therefore, they need to maintain extra precautions in regards to bringing in any bacteria or viruses into the babies’ bodies.
Finally, you’ll actually provide the milk. Be very mindful that you’re correctly storing and transporting the breast milk that you’re donating. Because, even if you’re completely healthy, if the liquid gets contaminated, then the screening process would’ve been for nothing if it’s unusable.
You’ll need to use sterilized bags to provide storage to the breast milk you pumped from your body. You’ll likely need to buy the containers on your own; they won’t usually be provided. Once the bags are received, they’ll be marked with a unique identification number and the date that the milk was donated.
As soon as you extract the milk from your body, it needs to be put into the fridge or freezer almost immediately (within 30 minutes). It should remain in cold storage until you are ready to deliver or mail the milk.
When you ship the milk, it should be shipped with overnight shipping in an ice-filled cooler. Some milk banks will provide you with the setup, and others will have you cover the costs.
Conclusion: How to Sell Your Breast Milk
If an incredibly simple process and $23,000 a year doesn’t motivate you to potentially donate breast milk, along with the fact that you’ll be bringing something beautiful into the homes of needy mothers and babies, we don’t know what will. That is the ultimate satisfaction.
You have plenty of options in regards to where to donate, so why not just do it?
All you need to do is work with your local milk bank or join an online community of mothers looking to provide milk to their babies or men looking to improve their health (whether or not it works).
It’s an easy and extremely fulfilling way to earn a passive income for something that you would do regardless as a mother.
