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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Wet-nursing: Has anyone breastfed someone else's baby?

69 replies

Astrophe · 16/09/2006 13:16

Was just thinking about this the other day as my friend just had a baby and I am BFing mine...not that I'm planning on doing it, but it just struck me that I could, in theory, mind her baby and feed it...but then very thought of it makes me feel weird. And yet I know it was very common in the past, and possibly still is in some cultures.

OP posts:
hunkermunker · 16/09/2006 13:17

There was a thread about this a little while ago where a MNer said she had when her friend was hospitalised (amazing lady - won't "out" her on this thread though - up to her to do that!).

motherinferior · 16/09/2006 13:18

I haven't, but I don't think I'd find it that weird a thing to do - at least not in the stages where you're constantly feeding a baby anyway. I might with, say, a three year old who was still b/fed.

Original poster
Astrophe · 16/09/2006 13:22

Oh bother...missed that thread! Thought I was having a really original thought too!

OP posts:
southeastastra · 16/09/2006 13:44

they did that years ago didn't they? how did it work though, i know some orphans were wet nursed. it's quite sad really (i mean in a historical sense)

jasper · 16/09/2006 13:59

No but two friends donated their ebm when I struggled to feed my baby.
My sil almost fed my baby when she was looking after him when I went for a haircut and got stuck in traffic.

belgo · 16/09/2006 14:00

Jaspar how would you have felt if your sil had bf your baby?

belgo · 16/09/2006 14:03

My grandmother wet nursed in the late 1940s. I don't know much about it, except that she was very poor, so I assume she was paid. Hence my mother's attitude to bf is that it's only for poor people.

suzi2 · 16/09/2006 19:38

It's something that I think is completely natural TBH. I wouldn't mind someone bf DS (with my permission of course) and I wouldn't mind feeding someone elses little one (when I have milk that is). I think it's wonderful if women can help each other out. DS being breastfed was very important to me and had I come up against any difficulties then I would have loved someone else to offer their milk.

And I have a very uncontrollable urge to nurse friends babies when they cry... must try and get that urge under control before it takes over lol!

dabihp · 16/09/2006 20:18

I dont think u r supposed to, if u think about it... the baby gets used to your breast milk, while it is in utero, the amniotic fluid is 'flavoured' through what you eat, as is your breast milk...

also 'your immune system' is transferred to your baby... someone else could have totally different immunity, viruses etc....

katyjo · 16/09/2006 20:19

My mum was telling me that a friend of hers had been looking after her friends baby and although it hadn't been prearranged the baby was hungry, so without thinking twice about it she fed the baby. Baby's mum was happy, but I had thought it was really weird and couldn't get my head around it, but I think if you are breastfeeding and a baby in your care was hungry it would be a fairly natural thing.

Pruni · 16/09/2006 20:25

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Pruni · 16/09/2006 20:26

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kama · 16/09/2006 20:30

This reply has been deleted

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pupuce · 16/09/2006 20:30

Dabihp - what do you think we have breastmilk banks ?
Donated breastmilk is still quality wise superior to formula.

I would wet nurse and I would rather my baby be wet nurse than give it formula. Of course I would want to know who is wet nursing.
Though neither situation has arisen.

stitch · 16/09/2006 20:33

my only problem with it is that in islamif a woman breastfeeds someone elses babies, then that child is treated as a full sibling to her kids. i think it is something like three breastfeeds, or maybe five. that then means that the children cannot marry each other when older.
so, to avoid the scenario..............

lucy5 · 16/09/2006 20:34

I don't know why but I just couldn't do it.
My fil had a wet nurse in the early 1930's.

Original poster
Astrophe · 16/09/2006 22:24

Of course I would do it if someone elses baby needed to be fed (eg, their Mum was ill) but otherwise would feel very odd TBH, although I do agree it is quite natural and better than formula (although not saying formula is poison or anything, so no need to lynch me). I imagine it would be very strange to watch another woman feed my DS, alhough I can't imagine a situation where that would happen.

OP posts:
adath · 16/09/2006 22:40

I have never done it but would feed and allow DS to eb fed.
My friend and I discussed this ages ago actually.
In fact in some ways it would make life easier I am stressing about something I have to go and do at some point and it will mean being away from DS for several hours and in all honesty I would be more relaxed about it if I knew it was possible.
I do not imagine DS will need fed if I feed before I go and as soon as I get back but if the option was there then I would rahter that than formula.

jasper · 16/09/2006 23:04

belgo I would have felt grateful to my sil and pleased my baby had been fed with nature's best.

jasper · 16/09/2006 23:09

Stitch that is a barking mad rule.
No wonder people see Islam as a threat

3andnomore · 16/09/2006 23:12

NOt been in that situation, but have thought about this in the past, and I feel that it would be a very natural thing to do if both partes agree!
come across this
and this lovely article

VeniVidiVickiQV · 16/09/2006 23:22

No, but I would, if necessary.

Original poster
Astrophe · 16/09/2006 23:25

Do you think the baby would mind? I mean, are all boobs the same from a baby's point of view?

OP posts:
Gillian76 · 16/09/2006 23:27

I wonder if the baby would notice the difference - smell and all, apostrophe?

Don't know if I would... Would depend on the circumstances I suppose

Gillian76 · 16/09/2006 23:27

astrophe, not apostrophe.

must get to bed!