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ALTERNATIVE USES FOR BREAST MILK: You can make your own soap using the milk - here's a recipe for it from the Dr Oz TV show. -
Run out of contact lens solution? The milk can be used as a substitute for cleaning lenses. -
Expressed milk can be applied to cracked, sore nipples to help soothe them. -
Likewise, applying a small amount of milk to chapped lips can help replenish moisture. -
A baby's stuffy nose can be cleaned out with breast milk instead of the usual saline solution: just squirt a few drops of milk into their nose, leave it for a few minutes, then use a bulb syringe to suction it all out. -
Some mums swear by using breast milk in the place of deodorant. -
Sunburnt skin can be soothed by gingerly applying breast milk to the area. -
Some believe that breast milk could help ease the symptoms of Crohn's disease. Organ donation recipients can also benefit from the milk's immunologic powers. -
Get baking with some milk! Breast milk can be used to make a range of food products. Click through the links to check out recipes for bread ... -
... ice cream ... -
... and breast milk butter .... -
.... and cheese (such as this breast milk cottage cheese recipe) ... -
... yoghurt ... -
and cupcakes. -
As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2004, a natural compound nicknamed HAMLET can be used to treat - and eventually get rid of - warts. HAMLET is found in breast milk, and some mums have found success with applying milk to the warts a few times a day. -
A baby suffering from nappy rash can be treated with some breast milk applied to the area. -
Okay, the breast milk itself can't be used as contraception, but the practice of breastfeeding can help delay the return of the woman's menstrual cycle, meaning she can't get pregnant. It's called the lactational amenorrhea method. -
As breast milk is sterile and has antibacterial, antiseptic and healing properties, it can be used to help heal cuts, grazes and scratches. -
It's said that breast milk can be a good sexual lubricant - as one article states, "Females can first hand express the milk into a sterile cup in order to do this". -
It can also be used as a gargle or drink to soothe sore throats. -
Tired and red eyes can be soothed by breast milk on a cotton wool pad. -
The great properties of breast milk mean it can be patted onto rashes to help reduce redness and itching ... -
... and can also help soothe the itching of chicken pox. -
Some mums swear that breast milk can get rid of cradle cap. Just gently massage a small amount onto the scalp while breastfeeding; there's no need to wash it off. It's said to clear the scalp up after a few days of regular treatment. -
Etsy sellers can create breast milk jewellery: you send them the milk, they make it into a bead that can then be worn on a bracelet ... -
... or on a necklace ... -
... in a variety of styles ... -
... or even preserved inside a locket. -
Squirting a few drops of the milk into an eye can help get rid of conjunctivitis - great for treating toddler siblings, who are often affected by the condition. -
Milk can be donated to organisations such as Mothers' Milk Bank, which provides screened and pasteurised donor milk for families in which the mum is unable to supply her own milk. -
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Breast milk isn't just for feeding babies! Here are some other (sometimes surprising) ways the natural 'liquid gold' can be used.
See more in our breastfeeding section.
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