Joe Yates
A 23-year-old woman has opened up about the shocking way in which she makes money out of her bodily fluid.
McKenzie Stelly, of Lafayette in southern Louisiana - roughly a two-hour drive west of New Orleans, has been bagging discharge from her two of her private parts and flogging the liquid off for $5 per ounce.
Incredibly, she's been able to produce more than five gallons of this specific bodily fluid every month, raking in over $3,500 in the same period, and we're not talking about her flogging urine.
No, the mom-of-two is actually profiting from selling her breast milk - although she never started off with the entrepreneurial thought of cashing in on her newborn's sole source of nutrition.
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It all came about naturally.
"I've always wanted to breastfeed my babies because I believe it gives them the best start in life," McKenzie explained. "My mom did it, I've always wanted to do it too."
When she had her first-born, Elias, she was unable to breastfeed him herself as the infant was born with two bottom teeth - ouch!
Instead of opting to go down the formula route, she reached out to a woman on Facebook who donated her own breast milk for the youngster.
Then in August 2024, she gave birth to her second son, Rhett, and discovered that her body was producing too much milk and so wanted to give back as her last donor had.
"I realized I had an oversupply, so I wanted to help others like I'd been helped," she said.
"I needed to get rid of the extra milk to avoid getting clogged milk ducts, which leads to mastitis."
She then began donating through Tiny Treasures' 'milk bank' to help moms throughout the US and further afield, receiving a small amount of money in return.
"People think that breastmilk should always be given for free, and I do agree to some extent, but it's still a product of my body and time," she added.
But then she advertized her breast milk on Facebook for 70 cents an ounce, and that's when this story takes a bizarre twist as bodybuilders starting hitting her up on the platform as the commodity is rich in protein.
"I found it strange at first, but that's before I saw how much I could make," McKenzie explained.
"Pumping isn't as easy as it might sound. Yes, my body produces it, but I have to stick to a routine to avoid my milk ducts getting clogged.
"Pumps can cost up to $300, which isn't cheap, and I brought a second fridge for stock rotation."
Now, the young mom has fully welcomed her new clientele.
"I charge a higher rate for a bodybuilder because their grown adults and it's a lifestyle choice they're choosing to explore.
"Breast milk isn't a necessity to them; it's a tool they use to up their protein intake."