Bring on the Wet Nurse!
January 7th, 2010 by Diane Sam
Today's Rant....
I had a call from a friend the other day, and she asked me what I thought about her helping out her friend by nursing her friend's baby. Her friend is having trouble with milk supply, latching, etc.,, and she figured that should could help out a bit. I told her "go for it. If you have a good relationship with the mom, and she's comfortable with it, sure."
A wet nurse is a time honoured tradition between women. Maybe there's a reason that women tend to be more relational and emotionally connected to each other than men. Maybe there's power and energy in women working together to feed and nourish their children. Maybe we need each other's help.
And I have news for you: The formula companies want you to feel squeamish about this, to worry about it, to think it's unnatural or unhealthy. Everytime someone says "eww...that makes me uncomfortable", etc.. THE FORMULA COMPANIES WIN because the mom will not ask her friend, cousin, sister to help her, she'll feel embarrased and weird and run out and buy formula. They want you to feel isolated and alone, like it's all up to you to 'get' breastfeeding right away, and not ask for help from another mom.
The medical establishment too, will come up with all sorts of warnings re: HIV, etc.. They are covering their butts. Yes, an HIV + women in the developed world is better off not breastfeeding. Don't let this sensible warning for a pretty rare and unlikely situation (i.e. you ask a nursing mom to breastfeed your baby and she's unaware she's HIV+) turn into fear-mongering. Because what you often see in the 'offiicial guidelines" or "quotations from experts" regarding this practice is nothing short of promoting anxiety around a natural practice, breastfeeding. Read these warnings carefully, is the "medical expert" being influenced or paid by the 'formula/dairy' industry?
The medical advice not to let anyone else breastfeed your baby is overkill. Think of this analogy: Can you imagine if they started warning everyone never to have sex with anyone? It's ridiculous and never going to happen, and it involves men. So, they take a reasoned approach and talk about not engaging in risky behaviour. Fair enough. But something that just happens between women (nursing each other's babies), well that is out of the question..... that would be too empowering and too woman friendly. If your friend or your sister helped you out with breastfeeding for you, well then you just might NOT run to the supermarket and buy formula and then you wouldn't give us money so we could spend it on marketing pieces that undermine your confidence in yourself. Think about it.
Let me write the equations for you:
Alone/Isolated/Feeling like it's all up to you/ = You buy more formula.
Feeling like it's unnatural/weird to cross-nurse each other's babies = You buy more formula
Freaked out about Medical Warnings about cross-nursing = You buy more formula
You buy more formula = more profits for the formula companies
More profits for the formula companies = more money spend on marketing that undermines your confidence
Enough is enough. Cross nursing is a completely normal, time honoured social behaviour amoung women. Let's take back our power as women and bring back the wet nurse tradition.
Here's an interesting clip from ABC News about Cross Nursing Interesting that La Leche League comes down against it, and take the old 'medical screening"/fear mongering stance and just lists diseases the other mom could have. Why? Why not take the opposite approach and list all the great advantages of the baby getting breastmilk? Sigh. La Leche League, you need to re-think this policy.
Comments? We'd love to hear about your experiences ...
Post filed under: Articles
Comments
Donna Curdyk said:
My three children would not be alive today if in Europe 65 years ago they did not believe in wet nurses. My mother inlaw was nursed by a wet nurse and they told her Grandparents if it had not been for that she would probably not have made it and if that had happened she would not have met my father inlaw moved to Canada had three children. I would not have met my husband and had my three healthy breast fed babies. Breasts are for feeding our babies so be proud and encouraging we are women see us nurse.
January 8th, 2010 1:27pm
Diane Sam said:
Thanks for the comment Donna, and pointing out that it was such a standard practice just a generation (or two) ago. Why has our society become so uptight and fearful about this sort of natual behaviour?
January 8th, 2010 1:55pm
marion yoder said:
my mom nursed two other babies as well as my brother. one belonged to an amish nieghbor who had comploications aand didn't even have the strength to hold her baby for sevral weeks, let alone nurse him, and the other was a freind's who just didn't have quite enough.
August 12th, 2010 6:09pm
Michelle said:
Yes its wonderful when mothers help out other mothers by nursing!
August 12th, 2010 11:10pm