Savvy or Not So Savvy? Breast Milk Cleanse

The mommy blogs and twitter were all a-buzz last week over the story of a husband who declared he was going to exist on his wife’s breast milk for as long as he could. The California couple, Katie and Curtis, had a freezer full of pumped breast milk they didn’t want to see wasted. Katie is also a doula, so she was likely inspired to raise awareness of the health benefits to breast milk.
So, she and her husband started a blog called Don’t Have a Cow, Man, in order to document his journey. The blog was taken down two days later, however, due to the high volume of negative comments that came in.

People were disgusted at the notion of a grown man (a 6’4”, 185-pound father) drinking his wife’s breast milk, while others judged them for not donating it to a family in need.

On that—I have one quick question to throw in the ring: why does human milk carry such a large ‘ick” factor over cows’ milk? If you think about it, cows are a bit dirtier. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying I wish my husband had done the same thing, but logically, it’s a fair question. But I digress…the story continues and it has a good ending.

When the Don’t Have a Cow, Man blog was taken down, Katie read through the comments and connected with a Montreal mom, Emma Kwasnica, who runs a global milk-sharing network (Human Milk 4 Human Babies). Emma was able to introduce Katie and Curtis to a mother in California with quadruplets who needed the milk. It worked out perfectly.

From where I’m standing, this California couple achieved quite a bit in one week. Firstly, they went ‘viral’ and became an internet story in two days. That in itself is an accomplishment. But even better, they were able to raise awareness, spark debates and discussions online that eventually lead to the most desirable ending. Everyone won.

What do you think? Is a human mother’s milk gross?