In 2005, Julie Jumonville and Elizabeth Smith founded Milkscreen, a company that sells a screening product to detect alcohol in breastmilk. I'll admit I rolled my eyes and assumed this was just another tool of the Anxiety Industry when I first read about it, especially given the proliferation of worried parent books, movies, flashcards, and guides. Is another product in this genre really necessary? The ladies of Milkscreen think so and after interviewing Ms. Jumonville, I tend to agree.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers breastfeed babies until the baby is 1 year old, simultaneously encouraging women to not drink at all during pregnancy and only minimally during the first year of baby's life. Given this, it's not surprising that many women decide to stop breastfeeding rather than take the chance with alcohol or completely give up their lifestyle for 21 months.
If a $20 product would ease someone's mind enough to breastfeed a little longer, it seems like a perfectly worthy investment. Clearly, there are plenty of sassy independent mommies who don't need a strip to tell them if they've had too much to drink, but it might be helpful for moms who crave peace of mind (and have a yen for weird science).
They come in handy packages of six strips for $19.95 each (available at Amazon, of course) and if nothing else would make one hell of a gag gift for your partier gal pal who is newly pregnant.
