Would you allow this?

[Charlotte91]

I was listening to Fifi and Jules podcast and one of the things they were talking about was "Would you let someone else breastfeed your baby?"

Would you? The senario is that your leaving your child with a member of your mothers group or a friend/family.

Would you be happy enough for that person to nurse your child?

[Catastrophic]

No. Not personally. That is a special bond between me and my daughters - I would hate to share that.
But in saying that, if someone needed my EBM I would be more then happy to help supply (If I was lactating)

[Phteven]

Yes I would.
Milk from a wet nurse is the second best food for a baby if milk from their mother is not available.

My 2nd had tongue tie and he was a terrible chomper so I suspect that no-one would have offered to feed him twice.

[Tinks]

I would. It's been done for generations. My aunt used to feed other babies in hospital if their mothers didn't have enough milk. I don't know why it's frowned upon these days.

[nothing2lose]

It would depend on the circumstances and who was doing the feeding but generally, no.

The reality is you don't know what may be in their system (drugs, toxins, diseases) that they may not even be aware of...

[[M]umma[M]ia]

No, I wouldnt. Just not for me.

[Amaunet]

If I trusted them enough to leave my child with them, then yep, I'd trust/allow them to bf my child if necessary.

My mum was babysitting for a friend whose car broke down 2 hours away. She was feeding my little bro so she just fed the other bubba too. Her friend was a fellow nursing mothers association member (aba now) and she didn't mind at all

[Jas]

In cetain circumstances yes I would absolutely! But not as an everyday thing

[wysiwyg]

I also would not have an issue either having a bub breastfed by someone else or feeding someone else's if they wanted me too.

(Slightly off topic but there was a very interesting episode of Human Planet (Cities - Surviving the Urban Jungle) watched the other day, where a particular community in India (Bishnoi) worship/look after a type of gazelle (Blackbuck) and if orphaned fawns will not take the bottle, the women will breastfeed the fawns for a couple of weeks until they are strong enough to be released - I thought was absolutely amazing how the fawn knew exactly what to do)

[~clover~]

Personally, no, but back in the days before formula that was the only option for alot of mums. My friends have done it. One was weaning & needed relief, so fed the friends baby. I was offered for the same reason, but I didn't feel comfortable with it.
My natural instinct with friends upset babies is to pick them up & put them to the breast if they cry. Any baby. But I wouldn't do it. It crosses boundaries for most.

Each to their own.

[kimmi]

It would depend on the circumstances and who was doing the feeding but generally, no.

The reality is you don't know what may be in their system (drugs, toxins, diseases) that they may not even be aware of...

That would be my (if I had a baby) hesitation. SO many diseases are transmitted through breast milk!

[Danielle_NZ]

Interesting topic. Not sure where I stand on it for an everyday activity but it does have it's time and place.

[EsJay]

if it was someone i know and trust and know their background etc then yes as a one off. Although at 19 months im not sure dd would take someone else's boob!
i would also reciprocate if asked and i felt comfortable with that mummy, or would supply ebm if asked.

I would only take one side when i was born so my mum fed other babies in hospital who's mums couldnt feed because they were sick. proud of her for doing that

[onthefly]

I'd rather milk from a known human than from an unknown cow.

[TeniBear]

If I absolutely had to be away from her and couldn't just pump my own milk, then yes. I'd also very happily breastfeed someone else's bub (I very almost did when my milk came in for Ianto - I really wanted it to be of use, and my cousin had left her FF bub with me... But I figured he wouldn't know what to do by then and I wanted my first BFing experience to be my own child. Oh, and she might have been mad at me )

[blessedatlast]

I started a thread along the same lines a couple of months ago Would you hire a wet nurse I would feel uncomfortable with someone breast feeding my baby, I think it's really intimate and bonding, however I would have no objection to using donor milk. Each to their own though. I would feed someone else's baby if they were comfortable with it.

[Eenee]

Yep I would if I knew and trusted the person. And I'd do it for someone else also. I recently donated some of my EBM to a mum I did not know, and it was such a great feeling knowing you were helping a mother and baby out.

[butterfly_warrior]

For me, having been unable to breastfeed (no milk!) - yes, I would feel extremely uncomfortable if someone else had breastfed my child. It would have compounded my feelings of failure and inadequacy and made me feel as though someone else could be a better mother to my baby.

Different question - would I have accepted someone else's breast milk for my baby? YES! It broke my heart to have to see formula poured through my premature baby's NG tube, but my boobs just wouldn't work.

So EBM, yes. Being put to someone else's breast, no.

BW