To breast feed a friends baby if she was busy?

[narkymum]

just read a piece about it in closer. There is a programe about it on 9th sept c4 10pm.

Message withdrawn

they fed the baby that is not the dad

Lillymolly, yes it is rare for animals to suckle another's young, but we are rare animals. We're the only species where mothers sometimes choose not to suckle their own young because we have an alternative. choose

"Its just wrong"

Why?

Can't see any reason why you shouldn't bf someone else's chilc - if you and mum are agreed on it.

If I had a newborn and was unable to bf myself - for example if I became ill/had to go into hospital, then I'd FAR rather my baby be bf by someone else than have formula.

choice

Don't the WHO recommendations go:
mothers own milk from breast
mothers own milk, expressed,
another woman's milk
a breast milk substitute
?

TBH, I'd find it wierd, but think it's something I could get over. I'd like to think so, anyway.

The breastfeeding circle story is somehow humbling. It seems like an act of great community and kindness.

Not horrified at all by being fed other species milk - I personally formula fed DS1 after being unable to feed myself and am planning to formula feed DC3. I was trying to say is that I would find it strange for another woman to be breastfeeding my baby. Am definately not trying to get into the breast v bottle debate!

Isn't it wierd that in so short a time wet nursing has gone from being completely acceptable and in some cases expected, to being eeeuw?

I feel for the Gparents of that little baby, dd2 was like this with bottles whether containg formula or EBM. She utterly refused them until she got hungry enough and eventually took them. Thankfully I only had to leave her about 3 times with someone else with a bottle. i think had I been leaving her with someone who could have bf her then I would rather they had than her screaming in rage and frustration, before giving in and taking the bottle.
Thing is how can you say whether a baby would accept a woman not the mother as easily as they would accept the mother.
Who knows?

Historically wealthy women employed a "wet nurse" to do just that...the return of the wet nurse and in the US

2b- I'm with you.

I would never let anyone bf my children other than me. And I wouldn't bf anyone else's children. It may be milk but it's still like a body fluid. And it's for mothers-babies only. Not random woman-baby.

there was a thread about this a year or so ago, where someone was babysitting a friend's baby and the friend got hit by a car. She was ok but obviously got taken to hospital etc and so was hours and hours before the babysitting friend heard what had happened.

Baby was screaming for its feed. WWYD? She fed it. Mum was very grateful.

Personally, I think that's absolutely what you should do. Far better than giving them formula which they might have a reaction to, vomit up, etc etc, let alone the fact that the baby's mother didn't want her child to have formula.

I have often considered whether I should do this in the same way as I always want to pick up my friend's baby when he is upset - and have offered to before and been told not to!

She knows what she is doing and is on the case. I would never interfere with that.

However in a case where I was too ill to feed, and a friend offered to, I'd be fine about it - expect I'd worry about his attachment being somehow swayed iyswim? I wonder if that happens?

In normal circs I wouldn't want to share the responsibility (nor the privilege!)

It is my job.

Thinking on, I can see that chopping and changing might be wierd for the baby. Surely someone elses milk would smell/taste different, depending what they'd eaten recently, or their personal body chemistry or whatever.

Not a reason not to do it, just a thought..

Wet nursing - has been used for centuries as a practical means to feed a baby when a woman is unable to herself, or very rich and in the 19thC if the mother wanted to resume sexual relations as they believed sex spoilt the milk! It has only become strange in the last century - where we as a society have decided it is preferable to synthesise cows milk into a substitute.

I would definitely like to donate to a milk bank if i am successful feeding my next baby - don't know if I would wet nurse another child but I have no objection to it at all. Seems very sensible.

That Guardian article about Kate Garroway was annoying as it purported to be about Kates views on breastfeeding - but of course was really about her on Strictly come dancing, her marriage and how meeja savvy she is!

Offered to pick him up that is! Not to feed. I know she wouldn't allow this, anyway - and there hasn't been the need. Plus I would only want to in exceptional circumstances.

ps lilymolly - if a ewe dies in lambing, they often try to match up the orphaned lamb with a ewe who has lost her lamb. sometimes they have to tie the fleece of the dead lamb over it before the mother will accept it, but when she does, the lamb survives.

which seems like a positive outcome to me.

"It may be milk but it's still like a body fluid"

Yes - like cows milk.

The main difference is that cows milk comes from the shit-splattered udders of a cow rather than a clean pair of healthy breasts and is likely to contain a degree of pus (because cows regularly get mastitis and the milk is pooled). Mmmmm........ luvverly.....

"Not horrified at all by being fed other species milk"

Only because you've been culturally desensitised to the idea of giving your baby cows' milk. How about giving your baby milk from a sow? Or squeezed from the tiny teats of a rat?

I wouldn't give my baby cow's milk or another woman's milk. And I don't drink cow's milk either. I have soya or rice milk.

wasn't heather mills going on about rat's milk recently for some reason? or did I dream it?

I have no problem with people who choose to ff, just as I have no problem with people who choose to bf. I do think it's sad that our culture is so eeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww about bf and breastmilk though.

What would your preference be G2B if you couldn't bf? Soya formula?

Yes, he's on soya formula because I tried to bf and couldn't.

Don't hospitals have milk banks so if the mother wants to bf but can't due to illness etc then the baby can have breastmilk or if the baby is in SCBU and the mothers milk hasn't come thru yet breastmilk can still be given. I am sure one of the ladies on my post-natal thread is donating and I think this is wonderful.
Personally if I was in hospital and could't breastfeed I would much prefer my little one to have someone elses breastmilk than formula.

G2B - what would happen if you were in an accident and couldn't breastfeed?

Like I said, don't want to get into the breast v bottle debate. Don't find the idea of breastfeeding eeeww at all, its the most natural thing in the world - if your body allows you to do it.

[off back to the wedding thread to talk about less sensitive subjects ]

If I was still bfing? I always had a stock of soya milk in from a week before I had the baby. I'd have wanted him to go onto that.

I know not everyone thinks this way, but it's just how I feel. I could not have another woman bf my baby.

My grandmother says it used to be the norm for women to breastfeed one another's babies if necessary.

Not sure why it is such a big deal TBH