Man Plans To Live Entirely Off His Wife's Milk

Mmmmm, breast milk (Don't Have A Cow, Man).

The price of milk is rising and interest in human breast milk seems to know no bounds, so you knew it had to come to this eventually: one man has decided to see how long he can survive on a diet consisting entirely of his wife's breast milk. And naturally, he and his wife are blogging their experience. Cause, really, what else are you going to do with a 22-cubic-foot freezer of milk that breast milk banks won't take?

That's a lot of breast milk (Don't Have A Cow, Man).

The story so far: Curtis and his wife Katie, a childbirth and lactation educator, have three children. After their first baby spent time in the NICU Katie got into the habit of pumping milk "religiously every two hours round the clock for fear that my milk would dry up." That left her with a huge surplus of milk which she used to feed her first child while pregnant with her second. Her second child also spent time NICU, and she quickly filled up a 7" cubic freezer with more milk, which she eventually donated. Over six months she gave more than 10,000 ounces of breastmilk to an adopted premature drug baby who was not responding well to formula!

And then Katie got pregnant again, and again the baby went to the NICU. This time they ended up with an even bigger freezer full of the white stuff (right), which sadly no milk banks would take (for various reasons including the medicines she had taken while pumping). So this time they were just going to save the milk for themselves...until they realized they had to move and that the cost of transporting so much lactation would be quite expensive. So Curtis decided to take one for the team and drink the milk, and just the milk, for as long as his body will let him. They just finished day two.

The couple is taking their little experiment quite seriously though, tracking Curtis' weight and calorie intake and watching for any ill effects. Katie's milk has been tested to contain approximately 27-32 calories per ounce and Curtis needs 2,000 calories a day, so he's aiming to down 66 ounces of his wife's product a day. Though the first day he didn't quite make his numbers, he did on the second and boy, hes sure seems happy! In his words: "Hunger is pretty much non existent and manifests itself mostly as thirst. I quench the thirst 16 ounces at a time and that keeps me satisfied from 2 to 4 hours. I feel good, happy on a full belly, and I feel that it should go well. I may even be sad when all the milk is gone from the freezer..."

Sadly, as of now, it appears that Curtis and Katie aren't planning on doing anything else with their milk but they are just at the start of their experiment. We hear ice cream is delicious!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Garth Johnston in Food on September 21, 2011 4:38 PM

Comments [rss]

Anthony Citrano

There's a M->F analogue to this, but I think sufficient volume would be a challenge.

yws

Ok, i'm all for experiments and trying new stuff, but seriously: Milk Hoarding?? We all have liquids excreting from our bodies that serve a purpose and when that purpose is over: bye -bye excess! Just Throw the milk away. It cant be used, there is medicine for her body in it. A grown man on a breast milk diet is just disgusting, it really is. Can he physically drink it? Sure. We as humans "can do" a lot of things, but that is just ....ugh and uuuugh. Long post, I kmow, but yuck, and even if I was in a situation where I HAD to survive on breast milk, I sure as heck wouldnt be blogging, sharing about it. You dont see big kids and adults nursing at the breast. They are weaned when they are little. So still : YUCK

Anthony Citrano

But cow milk = totally cool. *eyeroll*

yws

I don't drink that because it's gross and causes too many issues with too many people. Somethings are best left alone... Cow milk's for calfs, breast milks for babies.

Sarah H Nelson

That's tremendously disgusting.

whatidsay

Her milk supply may not have dried up but, given what her breasts must now look like, I'm sure her husband's libido did.

Lesley M

There are underground breastmilk sharing groups that they should hook up with. There are so many mothers and babies who could benefit from this stash. It's a shame that they are wasting it on a dumb publicity stunt.

Gary Cook

He should try a breast milk "gallon challenge" & leave it at that.

notracistnotintocorporatemedia

actually humans are the only animal that continues ot drink milk, even if from other creatures, not normal

latinlad

she must have some big ta-ta's to hold all that leche

EdwardAmame

Tasty over ice with brandy and nutmeg.

RobertMosesSupposesErroneously

How about a "White Mother Russian": Vodka, Kahlua and Breastmilk?

Polite New Yorker

They should sell it. There are plenty of breast enthusiasts who would pay for a taste.

Cat1982

Why do you keep having children if they keep ending up in NICU? Clearly there is something amiss with your genes.

wonderchimp5

I blame Morgan Spurlock for all this ass clownery.

rnrnys

Why not get it right from the source? We all know warm milk makes you sleepy........sooooo sleeepy.

LeoMoon

Her tits must be so saggy gross and floppy.

nicemarmot

Breast milk is good stuff and all, but drinking it all the time? It's like really sweet watery milk. It would be so incredibly bland and boring.

Also, my baby weighs 15 pounds and drinks 35 ounces a day. How can this dude live off 66 ounces a day?

jibbly

Rarely have I actually face palmed myself so hard.

shocktheday

There's got to be a way to get this milk to babies that need it. I'm sure you'd find mothers willing to sign waivers for this milk.

soothsayer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...

also... where it says breast milk used was used to treat ailing patients.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E...