Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

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

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Is this OK? (Wet nursing question)

31 replies

Daisymoo · 11/10/2006 20:20

Hoping a b/f expert can tell me whether this is OK. I've got a friend with a 2-day old baby, who is having trouble getting him to latch on as her nipples are quite flat and dimpled, but has b/f successfully 3 times before. She is extremely sore and blistered and phoned me an hour ago saying she couldn't do it anymore, was going to give him a bottle etc. I went round and (at her request) gave him a feed myself. My ds3 is 12 months - is my milk going to be OK for a newborn? I've been trying to give him mostly foremilk in case the hind milk is too fatty/rich for him. Is there anything else I should be doing? We're contacting a b/f counsellor, Im taking round some syringes for her to give him expressed milk. How do you cup feed? Sorry this is a bit jumbled, just in a hurry to get back to her.

OP posts:

MortuaryAnyone · 11/10/2006 20:23

i think it should be ok and your body will adjust to a new born? It;s beena while since I bf.

tissy · 11/10/2006 20:26

Can't answer all of the questions, but about the cup feeding- get something like a bottle top, or a small egg-cup (or one of those wee "cups" that come with medicine) fill nearly to the brim with milk, and hold to baby's lips- he will "lap" it up with his tongue- don't expect him to drink like an adult, and don't expect miracles at first- it takes a bit of getting used to!

Hope someone else will be along soon!

BTW, suspect your milk will be fine, and far better than the alternative!

Toothyboy · 11/10/2006 20:29

No advice really, just wanted to say I think it's a wonderful thing to do for a friend! The subject has been discussed on here a few times and there are lots of people who think it's disgusting to bf someone else's child. But good on you !

dizzybint · 11/10/2006 20:29

what a good friend you are daisy moo. i bet not many people would feel able to do the same.

harpsichordcarrion · 11/10/2006 20:30

good for you daisymoo, you're a great friend
as tissy says, it is better than the alternative
can your friend get hold of one of those really great hospital expressing machines? they are really efficient and could give her nipples a bit of a rest

moondog · 11/10/2006 20:30

How lovely of you to feed the baby Daisy.
Fab!

norkmaiden · 11/10/2006 20:32

Daisy - what a lovely thing to do for your friend, what a star
I would think your milk is fine, esp if formula is the alternative.

Would your friend try nipple shields? They can interfere with supply, but worked for me when my newborn ds wouldn't latch, we got rid of the shields a few days later.

Hope the bf gets easier for your friend!

RottenOtter · 11/10/2006 20:32

lovely!!!!!!!!!!!!!

norkmaiden · 11/10/2006 20:33

Daisy - what a lovely thing to do for your friend, what a star
I would think your milk is fine, esp if formula is the alternative.

Would your friend try nipple shields? They can interfere with supply, but worked for me when my newborn ds wouldn't latch, we got rid of the shields a few days later.

Hope the bf gets easier for your friend!

evilstepmom · 11/10/2006 20:33

What a lovely thing to do! Just hold out for the bf counsellor is my advice and well done you for being such a good friend

evilstepmom · 11/10/2006 20:33

What a lovely thing to do! Just hold out for the bf counsellor is my advice and well done you for being such a good friend

evilstepmom · 11/10/2006 20:33

What a lovely thing to do! Just hold out for the bf counsellor is my advice and well done you for being such a good friend

evilstepmom · 11/10/2006 20:33

What a lovely thing to do! Just hold out for the bf counsellor is my advice and well done you for being such a good friend

evilstepmom · 11/10/2006 20:35

sorry about that! though it really is a lovely way to help

misdee · 11/10/2006 20:37

well done daisymoo.

your milk will be fine, much better than the alternative IMO. i hope the b/f counsellor can help your friend with her latch problems.

norkmaiden · 11/10/2006 20:37

has she got lansinoh for the soreness?

(btw iirc it was about 5 days before ds fed properly, I was at the point of giving up but the shields made a huge difference)

VeniVidiVickiQV · 11/10/2006 20:37

Oh how lovely of you

I think your milk should be fine. But if your friend can make sure baby gets all her own milk that she can express than thats better, Im guessing.

Im sure tiktok or mears will be along soon to clarify.

3andnomore · 11/10/2006 20:47

I think it's fine, and it's been done for many generations and still is done in many cultures...if it would be a long term solution (not meaning you will always be the one to feed him) I would think that your milk will actually adjust to the newborn...just as your milk would adjust if your own child has a cold,or something like that ...i.e. the "bacteria" in the spit would "send" signals to your own body to adjust...something like that...never properly understood this mechanism myself, and might be completely wrong, lol!
BUt your milk will definately not harm the child, it will still be better then Formula....afterall, to donate Breastmilk , that is mainly used on prem or newborn Baby's, the donating mother will be in a more advanced stage of feeding herself, iykwim!
It's wonderful that you 2 have such a close friendship LOoks like very slowly wet nursing is becoming a lil bit more acceptable even in our culture

NotQuiteCockney · 11/10/2006 20:57

That's such a good thing of you to do.

She obviously should be seeing a BFC, but she might want to try pumping a bit, right before feeding, to draw her nipples out more?

QueenQuootieSpookypieBee · 11/10/2006 21:02

Good on you! I expressed for the 1st week, due to DS not latching, and I think the pump helped bring out my nipples. Also, DS got less sleepy and abit stronger in that time I just had an Avent hand pump, but, if your friend was pumping long term id advise an electric one Well done!

hunkermunster · 11/10/2006 21:25

Brilliant, good on you!

She should be holding him skin to skin as much as she can.

Has she got any Lansinoh? That's the best thing for sore nipples IMO.

Agree she needs to see or speak to a BFC.

As NQC says, she can try drawing out her nipples a bit before a feed to see if it's easier for him to latch. There's some more information about flat and inverted nipples on this page here

Original poster

Daisymoo · 11/10/2006 22:57

Hello, just got home again. She managed to speak to a Leche League counsellor tonight who recommended most of the things that you all suggested ie skin to skin, expressing a bit. She had just sent her partner out to get nipple shields when I arrived and this is making it just about bearable to feed him. I had a look, and although not an expert at all, the latch looked pretty good to me - lips curled out, ears wiggling, cheeks puffed out and lots of the areola in his mouth. He was feeding a lot the past couple of nights and I wonder if he just got a bit lazy with latching and this is how the soreness started. Anyway, my friend is looking and sounding much brighter, I have no doubt at all that she will b/f successfully. I'm so glad to have been able to do this for her, she's such a special friend, she was there for my HBA2C and I was there for this baby's birth too which was just amaaazing A mutual friend turned up while I was feeding the baby, and I think was totally freaked out. No doubt this story will be doing the gossip circuit in our tiny village

OP posts:

MrsSpoon · 11/10/2006 23:00

Sounds like you are a fab, fab friend.

LadyTophamHatt · 11/10/2006 23:02

I find this amazing daisy!
How wonderful of you!

juuule · 11/10/2006 23:13

Fantastic! 24hrs and your friend should be well on the way to the blisters healing and her milk should be in proper. I always found that once the proper milk came in (day 3 or 4) bf was much easier. Still painful at times but the milk seemed to help. For your friend, I would say though to have shorter feeds on the side which is the most sore. Just take the pressure off and then let it rest a while. For you, I'm sure your milk will be fine for her baby. If nothing else it's human milk.

Flip

1 2