CH4 docuementary 'Other Peoples Breastmilk' - nursing other kids than your own?

Question

i tried to breast feed, i was emergency section, first time mummy, after 5 days of trying, being left in a single room and getting NO support when i asked, lots of tears, cracked nipples / blisters and babys blood sugars dropping - i gave up.

it disappointed me - but at 12mos my daughter is healthy and happy, which is the most important thing.

ANYWAY, this isnt a breast vs bottle debate...

im looking forward to watching the docuementary on the women in amaerica who breast feed each others babys, a man who believes breast milk cured his cancer.

i was just wondering what your opinions on other women nursing your baby would be?

would you let them, would it only be if you knew them personally, would you do it for someone else?

i know people donate their milk to banks, but i dont think that is too much of an issue as i think its less personal as actually nursing the baby yourself.

could you or have drank breast milk? a point was made that i had never thought about. we dont think twice about drinking milk from a cow, but the thought of drinking breast milk is alien to us.

Answer 1

If needed I would be happy to help another mother feed her baby and/or have another woman feed him.  (with all the health checks of course!)

b*****s make milk.  That milk is for babies.  That's all I see it as.  Our society has done a wonderful job at sexualising b*****s - where they are seen as only vessels of milk in other country, only to feed babies - which is all well and good as long as you can disconnect the sexual side of b*****s in our society with the simple fact they are there to feed a baby.

Breastfeeding is not always so easy as many can attest to!  I have experienced my fair share of breastfeeding troubles with a son who was born severely tongue tied.  I have also had many friends who's milk has not come in until a few weeks after their baby was born! - The assistance of someone else helping to feed your baby during those times whilst you establish your own breastfeeding cycle with your baby can prove to be extremely helpful in aiding your breastfeeding relationship with your baby.  I even know a few woman who were very thankful in getting donated breastmilk to their baby when they were unable to as their baby was born very early and in the NICU.

If more people thought this way and felt this way - there would be hardly any need for formula milk at all!  All of our babies could have the best start in life no matter what difficulties we encounter!      

Answer 2

I am breastfeeding my daughter, and wouldnt let anyone else do it, i too will watch that programme, i have never drank breastmilk and dont plan on doing so!

Answer 3

oops, i missed that documentary.

anyway, I don't think i would let someone else to breastfeed my baby, unless like you said, it's someone very special and i am very close to. but, i think, it's only for certain medical reasons which is the baby had to have breastmilk but the mommy couldn't produce it herself.

i never drank breastmilk, but i guess my nips touched it while I was testing if the pumped milk was warm enough. wa ha...don't think i want to drink my own milk, huh?

I heard from my mum that my grandfather was actually breastfed by other woman up to the age of 6.  Of course that was a very old time story, and I don't know the reason why they did it, but it was something like he was in a wealthy enough family to hire some woman to breastfeed him up to that age.

But i think, if it has been scientifically proved that breastmilk can cure cancer or other disease, a lot of people would not mind drinking them!

It's just milk at the end of the day, at least it's not some sort of poison that you have to take a risk whilst hoping to cure the disease!

Answer 4

Hey very interesting question, I guess I have never thought about it, but I love BF so much and I dont think I could let another woman breastfeed her, because that is our special thing, no-one can do but me and I just would not feel right doing that, I could probably allow her to drink another womans expressed milk but not to actually feed, I think I might consider feeding another baby but only if the mother couldnt, or some sort of circumstances where I had to, but I would probably just express it, I would def donate to a bank if there was one in my area.

The actual feeding bit is the connection bit that I dont think I could handle, but if a baby needed my milk then I would be ok with that.

I havent tried my milk before, I know its strange but I see it like eating your own snot or something it seems weird, but my hubby tried it and he just said it was bitter, good point about the cows milk thing, did you know we are the only species on the planet that drink another animals milk?

Answer 5

Well, I tasted breast milk (by mistake I'd like to point out) and it was far from delicious. That said, if I thought it could seriously cure cancer, I'd drink the stuff like it was water.

To be honest with you, I'd have a very hard time allowing someone else to breastfeed my child. While I agree that breast is best (for as long as a mother can, of course), I think it is a very personal bonding experience that I might not be comfortable with sharing with someone else.

I may consider allowing my daughter to have expressed breastmilk from another mother if the milk was properly screened and tested. I wouldn't want to take the chance of her contracting any virus or illness.

Answer 6

there isn't a chance in the world i'd let someone else breastfeed my child, donated milk is one thing but actually breast feeding. not a chance. and i wouldn't be comfortable breastfeeding another woman's child. it would be very strange for me.

Answer 7

I always thought that one of the main reasons to breastfeed was because your body and your baby's body kept some sort of 'connection', with antibodies etc. The baby would take your immunity and your body would respond with the right 'mix' for what baby needed at that time etc. Seems a bit weird to have someone else do that instead.

I remember a line in "Friends" when they were discussing drinking breast milk, and someone said, 'it's juice squeezed from a person'. I suppose some people might find that perfectly normal, but not me, I find it really weird. I think out of curiosity, I would maybe at some point taste my own milk, but i don't think i could someone's elses.

And I really don't think I'd like someone else to nurse my child - when my daughter was on bottles, I didn't even like other people feeding her then, never mind if it was their breast they were feeding from!

Good question....

Answer 8

i want to watch that as well! more out of gross fascination than anything! I'm a fellow,1st time mum, tried breastfeeding, no help, and ended up being told my my HV to give the bottle and very bad advice to stop pumping all together! but my son is also very happy and healthy!

i wouldn't let someone else nurse my son! i think it is wrong. my opinion! milk from a bank... I'm not too sure. i would not drink someones breast milk! i was never breast fed, :( sadly my  mother cares about no one but herself.

Answer 9

My partner and I had this discussion in hospital

I too had an emergency section and my baby was very ill - needed 7 days of IV antibiotics.

Day times I got good BF support - night times forget it!!

He didn't feed for the first 2 days because he was so ill and people kept telling me that was ok because he was a 'big baby', consequently feeding was a nightmare - we were forced to give him formula because there weren't enough staff to teach us to cup feed him expressed colostrum.

I was sooooo cross! the hopsital had a breastmilk bank but refused us any milk - the woman opposite me was offered some for her baby who was poorly the very next day which upset me even more!!

However my partner though the idea of our baby having someone else's milk was horrible - he would rather the baby had formula!

So in short, I am ok with it though would prefer the milk was donated than let another woman nurse my baby! daddy on the other hand would prefer baby t have formula!

Answer 10

I can't wait to watch this now you've highlighted this. Personally I know breast is best but due to low milk supply I have to both bottle and breast feed my baby. I couldn't let anyone give my baby there breast as it just reminds me of that horrid film "the hand that rocks the cradle" and I wouldn't feel comfortable with it as it isn't only feeding but it's a bonding experience as well. However donating breast milk i feel slightly different about but somebody else putting my baby to there breast is a no no for me, she's far too precious

Nic

Answer 11

it's really hard to say unless i were in the situation but i think that i would be willing to bf a friend's baby if there were extenuating circumstances and i would allow the same for my baby if i knew the person and was sure that they weren't on drugs or didn't have some std or something like that.  donated breastmilk is pasteurized and many experts recommend not sharing unpasteurized milk but if it was someone that you trusted i think i'd do it rather than formula feed.  but that's just my personal view and i know that there are a lot of people who would have a problem with it. to each his own.

Answer 12

I read about this in the paper and started thinking about it.  I wouldn't like another woman to nurse my baby but I wouldn't have a problem feeding my baby milk expressed from another woman, I think that is mainly due to the bonding during nursing, and I wouldn't want another woman bonding with my baby.   It is strange how we will happily drink milk from another species but most adults find it discusting to think of drinking milk from a human, maybe it is because b*****s are seen as sexual objects rather than food so it would be desexualising them ?? It is certainly an interesting subject and I can wait to watch it .

Answer 13

I could breastfeed another womans baby if I *had* to.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with someone wetnursing my baby because feeding plays a role in the bonding process.

I have tried breastmilk.  It's sweet and tastes kind of like soy milk.  I don't think a man drinking breastmilk is any stranger than the fact that we mass produce milk from multi-stomached cows and drink it through out our lives . . . or paste little mustaches of it on our famous people for marketing purposes.

Answer 14

I've tasted my own breast milk... Hubby told me it was sweet, and I was curious! ;)

I wouldn't have another woman breastfeed my child---even if I loved and trusted her---unless it was a matter of life and death... I'd breastfeed, myself, or, formula would be just fine. (Just my personal choice.)

Answer 15

if it was someone else breastfeeding my child other than my own i wouldnt feel rite let alone me breastfeeding someone elses child i just dont see that as rite. my bf's sister had breastfed her sisters son , her nephew cuz she had too much milk as to where the sister wasnt able to breastfeed him for some reason. i can understand the milk banks for the babies that are in dire need of it. such as mother not getting enough supply and that breastmilk is all that they can have to survive cuz i had heard of a disease to where baby has to have nothing but breastmilk in order to survive due to some ilness

Answer 16

it depends. working in the health care field i am very well aware of many diseases such as hepatitis and HIV...it would depend if the person was healthy and had routine check ups.....there are so many blood born pathogens that its ridiculous....

on the other hand...if you look at people who receive heart, kidney, and liver transplants this situation is very comparable. in the end if your liver failed and you needed a transplant would you accept it?....i know i would..if it was absolutely inevitable i would accept. i wouldnt mind nursing a baby for another woman....i would do whatever it takes for any baby out there and i would hope that another mother like me would do the same for olivia.

Answer 17

I'm gonna watch that with Kate Garraway aka in my house as Horse Face. Personally if I could not breast feed my own baby and I had a choice of someone else doing it and formula feeding, I'd select formula feeding. I have tasted my own breast milk and it's OK. I wouldn't drink it for enjoyment though.  

Answer 18

I have had breast milk... when I was a baby.  It came from my mother.  hehehe...

No, I could not and would not allow another woman to nurse my baby unless it was an emergency situation.

I also would not breastfeed someone else's child unless it was an emergency sitaution.  

My twins were formula fed exclusively after being breastfed and supplemented with formula for 3 weeks.  They're incredibly healthy and I have no regrets anymore, although I'm pregnant again with a singleton and I plan to breastfeed.  I'm giving birth at a "baby friendly" hospital this time and I'm going for an unmedicated VBAC with a midwife so I'm pretty confident that it will work out this time.

Answer 19

Oh god no, there is no way I would ever let someone else breastfeed my baby. I think that this is a very personal and emotional bond between a mother and her baby. I myself would not want to feed someone elses child either as it would not feel right. But this is just how I feel and I'm sure there are people out there who would totally disagree with me!!!!!!

Answer 20

it used to be very common in the past for rich ladies to hire a "wet nurse". The nurse would breast feed the woman baby for her.

Answer 21

If my mother couldn't find a nurse maid for me she said that I would have died.  I was allergic to the formulas and she quit breast feeding, drying up and it was going to be about a month before the shipment from America was in with other brands.  FYI the nurse maid pumped and gave it to me from a bottle.  My Aunt was also a nurse maid back in the 20's, so they were very easy to find.

I breastfeed and there wasn't another choice, and I guess if I was approached by my doctor or the hospital and found out another child was allergic to formula I guess I would pump and share but not to my breast because of the bonding that takes place, it would be hard not being abel to see the child grow up, and stuff.  Others probably feel differently.