Our Mission
The mission of Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network is to promote the nourishment of babies and children around the world with human milk. We are dedicated to fostering community between local families who have chosen to share breastmilk.
Our Vision
HM4HB is a global milksharing network, a virtual village, comprised of thousands of people from over fifty countries. We are mothers, fathers, adoptive families, grandparents, childbirth and breastfeeding professionals, volunteers, supporters, donors, and recipients that have come together to support the simple idea that all babies and children have the right to receive human milk. We use social media as a platform for local families to make real-life connections and come together as sustainable milksharing communities where women graciously share their breastmilk. HM4HB is built on the principle of informed choice: we trust, honour, and value the autonomy of families and we assert they are capable of weighing the benefits and risks of milksharing in order to make choices that are best for them. We hold the space for them and protect their right to do what is normal, healthy, and ecological.
Breastmilk, the biologically normal sustenance for humankind, is a free-flowing resource and mothers of the world are willing to share it. Milksharing is a vital tradition that has been taken from us, and it is crucial that we regain trust in ourselves, our neighbors, and in our fellow women. Feeding any breastmilk substitute is not without risk and we support the families who know there is another option. We are the bridge that connects local families and brings them together again as milksharing communities. Indeed, the future of humanity depends on our return to sharing in a local and tangible way with one another.
We want milksharing and wet-nursing to be commonplace and babies to be fed at women's breasts whenever and wherever they need it. We dream of a world where mothers from previous generations pass on the tradition of breastfeeding and are a wealth of knowledge and support. We can forsee a time when women protect each other and help one another feed their babies so that every mother feels whole and no mother feels broken or that her body is failing her. We imagine a world where family members, friends, lactation consultants, doctors, and midwives do not hesitate to recommend donor milk when it is needed. We envision a future where families come together to raise this generation, and the next, by nourishing human babies everywhere with human milk and unconditional love.
Every person of the world is invited to join HM4HB. Page administrators, members, donors, recipients, and supporters are all important for building local, real-life communities where acquiring donor milk is no different than asking a trusted neighbor for an egg. We hope that one day in the future all babies in the world will thrive and grow on mother's milk, and HM4HB will no longer be needed because wet-nurses and breastmilk are available on every street, village, town, city, and island around the globe.
Our Values
Compassion and empathy for babies and their families is what brings us all together. Women are reclaiming their breastmilk, fully recognising its value, and are willing to share it freely with the babies and children of their communities. We desire a paradigm shift back to our biological roots, so that babies and children are being nourished by breastmilk. HM4HB is a volunteer-only network of community pages that does not receive any kind of funding or financial support. Our main focus is to facilitate breastmilk sharing and the network's community pages are a strictly noncommercial environment. We do not support the sale of human milk and/or the advertising of for-profit activities on our community pages.
HM4HB respects the right of families to make informed choices and we expect our members to take full responsibility for those choices. It is not the role of HM4HB to educate individuals choosing to participate in milksharing. All the information contained on our pages is for informational purposes only and does not replace personal research or medical advice. We are a community-oriented network and we expect members to inform themselves--and to encourage others to inform themselves--about risks, benefits, and alternatives. HM4HB also honours the role that an individual's intuition plays in the process of making informed choices.
The network expects members to respect the space and each other by practicing full disclosure. Complete honesty about all aspects relevant to milksharing allows all people involved to make truly informed choices. The online medium carries its own set of risks; participants need to fully analyse these risks and make conscious decisions. It is up to the participants to get to know each other, to ask questions, and to continue talking and engaging with one another until a relationship of trust is established. HM4HB does not assume any responsibility for the outcomes of milksharing. Our volunteers do not arrange milk-matches nor mediate conflicts.
HM4HB respects and accepts the choices that families have made for themselves. We don't question the reasons why families seek breastmilk and we don't prioritise requests and/or offers. We hope that all babies and children in need receive human milk, regardless of age, health, or personal circumstance. We come from a range of family, social, cultural, and religious backgrounds and we embrace diversity.
HM4HB is a global network comprised of thousands of people from around the world. In order to respect the individuality of all of our members, and to be relevant to all cultures and languages, our internal decision-making process is led by consensus, respect, and collaboration. We strive for effective communication, accountability, and transparency.
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