Thursday, July 04, 2013

The Rich Stealing Baby's Milk

Young mothers, mostly from poor rural areas, are being recruited by an agency in Shenzhen, in the southern Guangdong province, to produce breast milk for rich Chinese who believe it carries health-boosting properties.

Lin Jun, the manager of the Xinxinyu Household Service Company explained  "Breast milk is the best tonic, especially for those people who have just undergone major surgery," Mr Lin was quoted as saying. "If it is required, the customers may feed directly from the young mothers' breasts ... but they can always drink it from a breast pump if they feel uncomfortable."

Li Haifeng, an associate professor at Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said: "Breast milk can nourish the internal organs and it is noted that toothless old people can drink it to prolong their life."

Mainstream doctors disagree, however, saying that it could cause stomach upsets in adults as well as spread disease. Gu Zhongyi, a nutritionist at Beijing Friendship Hospital, said: "Breast milk is not a good choice for adults ... it has globulin to help improve babies' immunity, but adults do not need to build their immunity."

Lactating mothers are hired by wealthy families for six to eight months and can earn up to 16,000 yuan a month, vastly more than a factory job. Attractive wet-nurses and those in good health can command higher prices.

A donation bank for breast milk in Guangdong, aimed at helping sick children, has reportedly had difficulty finding donors since it opened.

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