In Chinas spiraling milk-contamination crisis, some mothers are making money selling their breast milk.
As news spread of the deadly taint of the industrial chemical melamine in Chinas milk supply lately, As Chinese parents panic about the tainted milk ，the fallout is breathing new life into an ancient profession. Wages for Chinese wet nurses, who post online ads and sign up at housework agencies around the count_ry, have doubled since the milk crisis began on Sept. 12. They now run as high as 18,000 yuan a month.
While doctors say any breast milk from a healthy woman will help a baby grow and protect it against disease, the practice of having another woman nurse ones own baby was largely abandoned in the West in the 19th century. But the practice is common in a number of count_ries. China also has a long tradition of wet nursing, but the Communist Party considered the practice decadent and tried to stamp it out.
Breast-feeding is on the decline in China, where commercial formulas are heavily marketed. According to Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of poor rural women who breast-feed slipped to 38% in 2005 from 62% in 2000. The reasons for the decline vary, but many people appear to believe that formula is somehow better for their children. Among some wealthier families, a busy lifestyle gets in the way.
Many public-health experts promote breast-feeding. This formula scandal is like natures wake-up call to all of us. Its not just about unscrupulous manufacturers, We really must pay closer attention to . . . what we feed our offspring.said one of the wet nurse.
The upswing in demand for wet nurses is raising moral questions. Its often the poor who end up selling their milk. Many people look down on this job. Then theres the problem of what to do with a wet nurses own child, since many of the women move in with their employers and, sometimes, they arent allowed to bring their own babies to work.
I was so angry when I read about the contaminated milk, says Some prospective wet nurses “I had to help.”
But in fact,I dont think  the wet nurse can be a professional job.Solving the food problem,it is the most basic measure， solving the problem from the origin.I do hope my future child will be healthy and will not be poisoned by polluted food.