The increase in websites trading in breast milk illustrates the value of this emerging market; it seems everyone from governments to cancer patients is seeing the benefits of this liquid gold.
But are we supporting women well enough to make it and could breastmilk banks be the answer to keeping babies, adults and economy healthy?
We met the mothers who have it, the adults who crave it and the scientists trying to understand it.
Julie Veccio is a stay at home mother with seven children. Donor breastmilk, for her, has been a life saver.
"There is just not one place that you can go to pick up breastmilk you’re hunting individuals down to see if they’ve got , you know, what you need," she says.
"It’s almost like a black market.
"The furthest I’ve travelled to get donor milk is three hours … when ya down to your last bottle you’ll go anywhere to get the milk.
Source: The Feed
"The older five (children) were breast fed the younger two I was on hormone therapy during my pregnancies and so my milk didn’t come in sadly.
"If you cannot breastfeed you child then what can be better than giving that child human breast milk from another human woman.Breast 2
"It’s a full time job using donor milk from donor milk sharing websites. It’s a constant chase of you know who is offering, where are they located.
"It’s very, very competitive... It’s kind of like the Olympics you’ve gotta get in first to win."
In the past five years, online milk sharing groups have boomed. Today, thousands of mums like Julie utilise them on a daily basis to hook up with donors and trade breast milk.
One such donor is Steph Brinkworth who says she doesn't "want to see my breast milk going to waste".
"I discovered quite early on after having Margo that I had an excess supply and I decided to start pumping … thinking, you know, that I could help somebody out and then once I got a decent freezer stash up I posted seeing if anyone would be interested," says the Canberra local.
"I don’t see a junkie sitting there expressing breast milk for half an hour to give it away for free"
"I’ve had people say it’s strange because it’s sharing bodily fluids and there’s nothing wrong with formula.
"It is completely normal, you know, before formula was around this was this was the normal thing.
For Julie, it requires trust but there's also risk involved.
"It’s such a small risk for such a huge health benefit for the baby. I don’t believe that the risk outweighs the benefits at all.
"I don’t see a junkie sitting there expressing breast milk for half an hour to give it away for free.
"If you can’t breastfeed … there’s no other option other than formula unless you can make your way into this little niche market of donated breastmilk."
Lynne Mackensey Hall is a private lactation consultant in Sydney and says women are becoming more concerned about the health benefits of breast milk over formula.
"In Australia we have a 98 per cent take up with breastfeeding so predominantly everyone breastfeeds in hospital.
But very quickly those numbers drop off. so in those first six weeks, women will often stumble.
"I think this is why we see so many women wanting to share now because they go, I've got this great product and I want to help you do and give for your baby what I'm giving for mine.
"Sharing through facebook is totally a trust situation because there will be a time when you don't know the person.
"Milk banks, fill a need where women or parents wouldn't feel comfortable about informal sharing. Milk banks use pasteurisation, heat pasteurisation, which kills bacteria and viruses."
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Source: Feed
