bf someone else's baby

[DimpledThighs]

I don't know if this is the right place to put this but I really have to tell someone this as I NEVER tell anyone.

When my daughter was 6months old my sister had her daughter. She had real problem establishing bfing and they were going to go over to bottles on teh advice of a HV.

I went down to see her with my DD and we decided we would try to get bf establishing. I showed her exactly how I fed my daughter but I have different kinds of breasts and my sister was having trouble latching her daughter on and had been told by her HV that her daughter was unable to 'learn' how to feed and to try a bottle.

So - I fed my sister's baby. It was to help her learn how to feed and to give my sister the confidence that they coyuld do it. They were still manly giving her my sister's expressed milk and that was great but then she tried again and eventually they ended up breast feeding.

The problem is I find this very enmbarassing to admit to. I have not told anyone apart from close family and part of me feels that it was in some way wrong to do this.

Was going to name change for this but decided tht mumsnet will be gentle (please!)

I remember your touching story from a similar thread piffle.

You did the ultimate good turn for your sister and your niece dimpledthighs
Thanks for posting about it.
Many of us would do exactly the same in a similar situation, I would think

I never did this myself, but certainly would have done if I'd been able to help out my sister or friend. Don't see anything wrong with it. Good for you.

Hi Kittylet

Re Grandmothers. I haven't read all of the posts below, in case someone else has answered, but if you are lactating for a long time and feeding for say 12 years, then I believe that you can easily relactate after a couple of years off. Grandmothers in developing countries may well still be quite young too.

I 'accidentally' fed mine for a total of 7 years (didn't intend to do extended feeding - it just happened). I can still feel my milk supply kicking back in a year later if my little one is poorly/snuggling down. My GP recently told me that it is possible I will always be capable of producing a little milk - until menopause I guess.

dimpledthighs, I think that's great! You helped your sister and her DD. Good for you. I would have done exactly the same (if I had a sister!!). No way would I be embarrassed about it.

Not sure why hygiene would be a problem sockmonkey?

DimpledThighs and anyone else who has done this, well done! It's a perfectly natural, lovely thing to do!

I am a journalist writing an article about the rising trend of wet-nursing in the US and I am looking for women who have hired wetnurses or offered their services as wetnurses. If you can help with these case studies, please get in touch. You needn't be identified.
Leo
[email protected]

Lula - have you advertised this on a separate thread ? You may get lots more responses that way.

Oh, Lula - could you please post a copy of your article here when it is published ? I would love to read it !

Haven't read whole thread but this reminds me of a story in the newspaper here in Spain about some African immigrants who washed up on a Spanish beach somewhere filled with holiday makers (happens every week here). They were exhausted and dehydrated and there was a woman with a baby of about 9 months. She was too weak to move never mind feed him and the baby was crying. A Spanish woman on the beach picked him up and fed him. It made the front pages. I remember it really choked me up. Well done Dimpled!

How do I advertise on another thread? (am new to this)!

here Lula

I think its lovely. I was very very close to doing it with my stepsister's daughter - they couldn't get the latch right, she was frantic, SS was getting more and more distressed, and sooo many times I felt we should attach her to me so both mum and baby could learn how it should be working.

I don't really want to pay to advertise...

Piffle, come back because I want to know about the latch!

Lula - I am not sure you have to pay. It isn't really a business you are advertising is it ?

Not sure what MN policy is on this, could you ask them if it could be done as public info. rather than a business ad ? Worth asking.

Journalists wanting information from members are meant to pay - I don't know if it is different for non-uk ones.

What a lovely thing you did for your sister dimpledthighs. I can understand why you'd be embarrassed, i would be too, but if i was in that position i'd do it for my sister, or even a friend.

oh that's so lovely.

I would do it for my sisters baby if she has them soon and i am still bf when she has them. Have no problem with it.

Think what people have done is lovely and perfectally normal. Well done

What a fabbo sister...
i only managed a few weeks with ds and didn't even want to bf dd...but i still think you are fabbo
It's the fact that you wanted to help her to do the thing she wanted to do (don't matter what it was imo) ..that's great dimpled.
She's lucky to have you

My only doubt if feeding a baby much younger or older than my own would be if the milk was appropriate for its developemental stage, i mean they always say ' your milk is constantly adapting to your baby's needs and age' sort of thing...apart from that i think its a very generous thing to do in order to help someone learn or in an emergency.

People used to bf other people's babies for years.

It will never happen today because of the risk of HIV.

What you did for your sister was fantastic - your maternal instinct took over and smothered your inhibitions and everyone benefitted.

It's brilliant - please don't feel embarrassed.