breast milk

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Jennifer Borget about some unusual ways she won't be using her breast milk.

Breast milk. It's a great source of nourishment for your growing baby, a comfort snack for some toddlers, like my 16-month-old who doesn't seem to want to stop (that's a whole-nother post). And breastfeeding in general is beneficial in many different ways. But did you know breast milk has more than a dozen other uses?

Why yes, some sources will tell you breast milk has a variety of uses.

Are you taking full advantage? Let's take a pop quiz:

When you cut your foot or burn your finger, do you grab the Neosporin, or use a bit of your own liquid gold to do some healing? If your answer is western medicine, you may be selling yourself short.

Related: Do daycare kids get sick less?

When I returned to work after maternity leave I had a stash of 220oz of milk in my freezer and I didn't want to waste a drop of it on anything else.

I'm not going to lie, ok? Some of the things I've read people using their milk for creep me out just a little bit. Here are seven things I don't plan on using my breast milk for.

1. A weapon: I've read stories of women who squirt their milk across the room at their husband, their dog, or whoever is getting on their nerves at the time. While I'm sure at some point in my lactation abilities I may have been able to accomplish this, I can proudly say I have never tried.
2. Acne: Ever heard of Proactive? … Or maybe this is the secret ingredient. Sorry, I don't wash my face with liquid gold, or my bodily fluids for that matter.
3. Scratches, scrapes, and cuts: Bandaids people! And something that works… Like Neosporin.
4. Ashy legs/ dry skin: I'll admit, I've been in a bind several times where I look down and my legs are pale white from dryness. But it would take far too much milk, and be far too awkward to pump my milk like a lotion bottle.
5. My milkshakes: This gives Kelis' Milkshake song (think "My milkshake brings the boys to the yard…") a whole new meaning. No thanks.
6. Contact solution or eye redness: I know people who have used breast milk for pink eye. I've even had friends tell me it works like a charm. But the thought of putting milk in my eyes seems weird and wrong. Coming from a human or not. And if you're in a bind for contact solution please don't look for the nearest lactating mom. You can make your own by mixing salt with distilled water.
7. Sexual lubricant: This is quite possibly the most disturbing suggestion I read on that list. I would love to know who actually has tried this sexy idea.

I won't judge you. You can tell me. Have you or would you try any of these things?

More great stories from BabyCenter.com:
Judge OKs Facebook hacking in custody case
When bedtime goes bad
How do we prevent sexual abuse?
7 helpful C-section tips

Source: Flickr User Daquella Manera

We're happy to present this article from one of our favorite sites, Yahoo! Shine:

Man can not live on bread alone. Breast milk, maybe. A blogger named Curtis is going to find out, as he embarks on a diet consisting only of his wife's breast milk. 

"Much more hungry yesterday, 104 ounces consumed, roughly 3120 calories," he writes on his blog Don't Have a Cow Curtis, where he and his wife, Kate, are tracking his daily diet. (Update: Curtis's site has been taken down.) Curtis came up with the unique meal plan after the birth of his child nine months ago left his wife with an excess of frozen breast milk. They tried donating their stock but milk-bank regulations and shipping fees prevented it. Besides, Curtis actually likes breast milk.

"I see nothing disgusting or wrong with drinking my own species milk (especially that of my wife), it is nothing more than a healthy meal," he writes. He also says it's a handy digestive aid and is much easier on his stomach than cow's milk. But how does it taste?

Lady Gaga wants breast milk ice cream to go by another name — one that isn't a play on hers. The performance artist who has campaigned causes with her attire, isn't a fan of the mother's milk ice cream being sold at a British ice cream parlor. Baby Gaga ice cream has stirred up headlines ever since the creamery's owner publicized the edible offering made from donated breast milk. While officials question the safety of unregulated human milk, Lady Gaga doesn't want the shop's owner profiting off of the empire and image the star has created. She's threatened to sue with a "cease and desist" letter. One report said:

The letter accuses the makers of "taking unfair advantage of, and riding on the coattails of" Lady Gaga's trademarks. As for the ice cream, the letter said it's "deliberately provocative and, to many people, nausea-inducing."

A mother's milk has numerous benefits for her baby, but is that also true for any woman's breast milk? Mothers are buying and selling the liquid gold on the Internet for various reasons. We asked our Facebook fans and Twitter followers if the FDA should stop this practice. Here's what they had to say.

• "Maybe just put a regulation on what should be done first. As long as it comes from the boob it is usually fine, but when it is put into something else and out for a while it is not always ideal. Milk Banks are here to help. We should really be supporting their efforts." — Christy H.
• "Yes. Who in their right mind would buy/take it from a stranger?" — Darlene C.
• "Eww! I didn't know this was happening. There's a reason why you don't buy a used pump even if it's thoroughly cleaned. It's a bodily fluid. You don't share that." — Luz S.
• "Ummm...definitely, HIV can be transmitted through breast milk. I'm all for donating breast milk to preemies and babies whose mothers can't bf but it needs to be regulated." — Amanda K.
• "It should be regulated." — Keisha W.
• "Should it stop it from happening. Heck no! Should it put some rules in place... sure but its not really going to stop Sally from going to her neighbor and giving her milk. Parents need to be careful themselves about what they feed their kids. Eats on Feets has continually been brought up in discussions and it really ticks me off. People have Eats on Feets completely wrong. Eats on Feets is in place to help parents feed their children the best way they can. It is known that breast is best. That is a fact that can not be disputed. Eats on Feets recommends that recipients have their donors tested. I'm sure that most donors are asked to be tested... I was. And yes, milk is a bodily fluid but given the choice, I'd rather my child have human milk (or bodily fluid) than that from another animal." — Katie M.

While more than half of polled LilSugar readers have tasted their own breast milk, only a small fraction have taken their exploration so far as to make momsicles (that's popsicles made with mom's milk). Inspired by the New York chef that made headlines for serving cheese made with his wife's milk, I went on a hunt to find recipes rich in breast milk. Whether you are an adventurous chef or you are starting to wean baby and want to supplement solids with the nutrients of breast milk, here are a few inspirational concoctions.

• Mashed avocado with breast milk: One mom mixed half an organic avocado with breast milk for baby's "first taste of something other than rice cereal."
• Breast milk cheese: You'll need mother's milk, cow's milk, yogurt, and rennet to get started.
• Breast milk soap: Make a milky wash with a mixture of water, vegetable oil, cocoa butter, and breast milk.
• Momsicles: This easy and cold treat is oft used to sooth teething tots.
• Breast milk ice cream: Making mother's milk into a dessert.
• Breast milk cupcakes: Everyone loves a cupcake, but would you eat one made with breast milk?
• Chanterelle sauce with a dash of breast milk and cognac: One chef says he spikes his sauce with the stuff. Consider that for your next fancy affair.

Want to try a recipe and need to get the milk pumping? Try Milkmakers Lactation Cookies.

Source: Flickr User montage man