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Original poster

Baby fed on raw milk formula

60 replies

EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 15:58

Does anyone know anyone who does this? As in, raw, unpasteurised cow’s milk, from birth. Mixed with other stuff to make ‘formula.’ Met someone who gave her baby this and I am shocked.

OP posts:
Sallyh87 · 07/02/2024 16:04

I drank unpatueurised milk when I was about 10. My relatives have a farm. I got some kind of bug that is usually found in calves. I was sick for about 3 weeks and hospitalised for 1.

This is a terrible idea, adults shouldn’t drink raw milk, let alone babies.

Moongirls · 07/02/2024 16:05

Surely that’s dangerous ? A safeguarding issue ? The baby could get really sick

Soubriquet · 07/02/2024 16:07

I’ve heard of this. It has a small but popular growing community and it’s extremely dangerous. It won’t be long before we read about infants being sick and dying

W0tnow · 07/02/2024 16:08

From birth! Surely that type of mother would prefer to breastfeed the child until they were 11?

NoCloudsAllowed · 07/02/2024 16:13

That she makes herself? That's moronic. Actually I'd say it's potentially criminal along the lines of endangering a child. Raw milk can carry all sorts of horrible stuff.

I'd bet the same woman is anti vax too.

booglewoogle · 07/02/2024 16:14

Sorry to doubt you OP but is anyone really this stupid?!

FloofCloud · 07/02/2024 16:16

Paratuberculosis comes from raw milk ... my aunt had it as a child - just walking - suddenly wouldn't walk, was in hospital on and off all her childhood and had surgeries to try to fix her leg - she's since worn a special shoe because one leg is longer than the other
It's a terrrible idea as there are safe options

queenofthewild · 07/02/2024 16:18

There was a woman advertising this locally to me a few years back. Local environmental health and public health departments were all involved. But yes, there is a market for this in a small subsection of people for whole breastfeeding didn't work out who do not want to support big pharmaceutical or formula companies.

TTCSoManyQuestions88 · 07/02/2024 16:20

I would report her to social services. What she is doing is criminal. She is purposely hurting her infant, ignoring every safety guideline out there. A newborn cannot handle cows milk. And any bacteria from raw milk could make him seriously ill.

Moongirls · 07/02/2024 16:22

TTCSoManyQuestions88 · 07/02/2024 16:20

I would report her to social services. What she is doing is criminal. She is purposely hurting her infant, ignoring every safety guideline out there. A newborn cannot handle cows milk. And any bacteria from raw milk could make him seriously ill.

I agree with this , it’s surely neglectful and could result in serious harm

fedupandstuck · 07/02/2024 16:22

Safety and nutrition for a baby come before preferences for no supporting pharmaceutical and formula companies!

Thankfully have never heard of anyone trying this.

SuperbOwls · 07/02/2024 16:22

Sounds like a great way to catch TB

thebestinterest · 07/02/2024 16:23

EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 15:58

Does anyone know anyone who does this? As in, raw, unpasteurised cow’s milk, from birth. Mixed with other stuff to make ‘formula.’ Met someone who gave her baby this and I am shocked.

I mean, it’s not recommended…

Original poster
EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 16:27

I don’t blame you for asking but this really happened, it was a mum at a baby group I go to. She apparently had supply issues with breast so felt this was the next best thing. The most worrying thing was other mums then asked questions and seemed to express an interest. The website she mentioned is the Westin A Price (I think) and on further reading, they have indeed got links to antivaxx, have said Covid isn’t contagious etx

OP posts:
Original poster
EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 16:27

Sorry that last message was in response to @booglewoogle

OP posts:
Bunnyhopskip · 07/02/2024 16:27

It sounds very dangerous. If not able to breastfeed, but "against" formula/big pharma companies, surely looking for donor breast milk would be the next best, safest step to take? When mine were young, and I joined some breastfeeding support groups, there were always tons of women locally giving away surplus breast milk that they'd pumped and stored. That would be much more preferable to me, than giving my baby something that is not widely sold unpasteurised because it can be harmful and cause illness to the general public, let alone a tiny infant!

Gerwurtztraminer · 07/02/2024 16:27

Sallyh87 · 07/02/2024 16:04

I drank unpatueurised milk when I was about 10. My relatives have a farm. I got some kind of bug that is usually found in calves. I was sick for about 3 weeks and hospitalised for 1.

This is a terrible idea, adults shouldn’t drink raw milk, let alone babies.

You can buy unpasteurised milk at my local farmers market (in London). From what I can tell it's from very small organic herds and I'd assume they test a lot and are monitored for the usual dangerous bugs etc. Having said that I've not bought any, partly as it's very expensive.

I did drink fresh milk straight from the cow as a child as we lived very rurally (in New Zealand) and we'd often hang around the milking shed after school 'helping'.

It seems a very strange thing for a mother to be giving a young baby these days though.

Original poster
EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 16:30

@Bunnyhopskip i totally agree.

OP posts:
NoCloudsAllowed · 07/02/2024 16:31

Gerwurtztraminer · 07/02/2024 16:27

You can buy unpasteurised milk at my local farmers market (in London). From what I can tell it's from very small organic herds and I'd assume they test a lot and are monitored for the usual dangerous bugs etc. Having said that I've not bought any, partly as it's very expensive.

I did drink fresh milk straight from the cow as a child as we lived very rurally (in New Zealand) and we'd often hang around the milking shed after school 'helping'.

It seems a very strange thing for a mother to be giving a young baby these days though.

Show quote history

There's a big difference between adults deciding to accept the risk and drink it, or a child on a farm where the farmer knows exactly what's going on with the cows, to doing this.

For a start, she'd presumably be storing and blending with whatever other nutrients she was adding. It would also be very hard for a layperson to know what nutrients to add and in what quantities. And none of it would be sterile.

equuscaballus · 07/02/2024 16:31

I'd advise her to get up close and personal with a dairy herd..

These are not clean animals and to be smeared in shit is their usual state.
While there are measures to clean udders before milking its not perfect and doesn't need to be as the current systems are set up with pasteurisation as the next step.

Pasteurisation saves lives.

I think a big part of the reason raw milk (closely linked to anti-vax in my personal experience) is gaining popularity is that complications/bad experiences are rarely seen and gives false confidence.

Original poster
EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 16:34

@equuscaballus agree. I can’t fathom someone doing this. Even pasteurised cow’s milk is not suitable for young babies.

OP posts:
Gerwurtztraminer · 07/02/2024 16:40

@NoCloudsAllowed Oh I totally agree it seems very risky and dangerous. I'd be very concerned if I knew someone who was doing this. I even wonder if it be a safeguarding issue.

I was just commenting it's actually available to buy and not some sort of black market product! Hence thinking that hopefully if people ARE doing this, however misguided, there are some checks in the system it make it safer - though I guess bovine tuberculosis would always be a possibility.

Original poster
EmmaOvary · 07/02/2024 16:48

It’s been banned for sale in Scotland, apparently.

OP posts:
AmyandPhilipfan · 07/02/2024 16:58

I would definitely be speaking up and telling her it's really unadvisable to drink unpasteurised milk and more so for babies and if she still didn't want to listen I think I would be passing her name and the baby's name over to the Health Visitor so they could try and get in touch with her to educate her on baby nutrition.

FirstFallopians · 07/02/2024 17:05

There is a Reddit group which shares “interesting” (ie. insane) Facebook parenting group posts, and I’ve seen some of the so-called recipes for homemade formula. How anyone could look at the list of ingredients and think it’s preferable to Cow and Gate or Aptamil, I have no idea.

I wouldn’t feed it to an animal, never mind a newborn baby.