The estranged founder of periodproof underwear company Thinx gave out her breast milk at Burning Man festival, although the practice carries serious health risks.
Miki Agrawal, who has stepped down from her role as CEO of Thinx, took to Instagram earlier this week to share photos and a video of herself at the annual gathering in Black Rock Desert, Nevada.
The 38-year-old gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, in July, and was still lactating at the time of the festival, causing her to pump her breasts ‘every three hours’—and give away most of her milk.
Pumping: The founder of periodproof underwear company Thinx Miki Agrawal (pictured) gave out her breast milk at Burning Man festival, although the practice carries health risks
‘Some people downed a whole four ounces hoping for a hangover cure. Some wanted it for their coffee to make lattes,’ she wrote next to the photos.
‘So many were excited and curious to try it. I drank some too when I ran out of water, it tastes like sweet coconut milk!’
The mother said many people didn’t know she had to pump that often, otherwise her breasts would get ‘super painful’ and engorged due to the flow of incoming fluids.
‘Every human has been birthed and raised somehow and yet even the smartest people have no idea what this process looks like,’ she added.
‘Nobody learns how to become a parent, let alone a good one. Time to change this! Great parenting can change the world! More conversations about this soon!’
New mom: The 38-year-old gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, in July, and was still lactating at the time of the festival, causing her to pump her breasts ‘every three hours’
Warnings: Despite Agrawal’s optimistic take on the experience, drinking breast milk that hasn’t been properly processed is considered an unsafe practice
Agrawal, the co-founder of Thinx, stepped down from her role as CEO earlier this year following accusations of poor management and a sexual harassment complaint, which has since been settled.
Despite Agrawal’s optimistic take on the experience, drinking breast milk that hasn’t been properly processed is considered an unsafe practice.
Breast milk, like other body fluids, can contain viruses, and this infections can be spread when a person drinks it.
Mothers who donate breast milk are usually advised to go through an organization that will screen donors before collecting, processing and storing the milk safely.
The FDA has a warning on its website advising parents not to give their children breast milk acquired straight from other people or on the internet.
‘When human milk is obtained directly from individuals or through the Internet, the donor is unlikely to have been adequately screened for infectious disease or contamination risk,’ the warning reads.
‘In addition, it is not likely that the human milk has been collected, processed, tested or stored in a way that reduces possible safety risks to the baby.’
Other experts have pointed out there is no proven benefits for adults who decided to drink breast milk.
‘Human breast milk (is) designed to nourish babies — not grown men,’ registered dietitian nutritionist Elisa Zied told Today in a previous interview.
‘Bottom line: I find the idea of an adult using human breast milk for health benefits unsubstantiated by science.’