When lactation consultant Meg Nagle posted a photo of herself breastfeeding her sister’s baby she was prepared for a mixed reaction.
But while the 35-year-old mother of three posted the picture to create a discussion around milk sharing, she didn’t expect that so many other women would open up about their own cross-feeding experiences.
Lia Campbell who has an 18-month old commented that when her twins were six weeks old they were often breastfed by her sister.
“[my twin sister] used to breastfeed my babies while I was doing school run if they were upset. A couple of weeks ago I went to visit her and met her 8 week old baby girl. My sister went to hairdresser and the baby woke up asking (screaming) for a feed and I breastfed her!” she writes.
Similarly, Jessica wrote: “I provide childcare and wet-nurse an 8 month old. His mom is not able to pump enough while at work plus she does not want to supplement with formula or risk him preferring a bottle over breast.”
Talking to The Weekly, Nagle says that she is very happy that women have felt comfortable sharing their own wet-nursing experiences. .
“I think people are hesitant to talk about it sometimes because they feel self-conscious and are afraid they will be judged,” she explains.
Nagle, who is the author of the book Boobin’ All Day… Boobin’ All Night – A gentle approach to sleep for breastfeeding families notes that while she is delighted that more women are cross-feeding, it is important to be aware of the risks.
“There are very clear guidelines as to the risks involved with milk sharing. It’s important to make informed decisions,” she says.
Australian Breastfeeding Association spokesperson Nicole Bridges echoes this when she says that viruses such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV could be transferred via breast milk.
However, she also notes that a lot of the health risks can be mitigated. “It’s all about assessing the risk, comparing the options and deciding what is best for the baby,” she explains.
With so many women ‘owning up’ to feeding each other’s babies, is the practice more common than we thought?
Lactation consultant Anna Quenault says that it certainly appears that way.
“For short- term care (or even long-term) it is certainly easier to leave your baby or child with someone who can not only offer the nutrition of breastmilk but also the comfort.
“Expressing is time consuming and can be difficult for some mothers so cross nursing or wet nursing fills the gap,” she explains.
Quenault also says that it is becoming more common for women to add a clause in their will asking for a friend or family member to breastfeed their baby.
“Cross-feeding is really coming full circle to how it would have been in times past when families were geographically closer,” she says.
“Perhaps wet nursing will become a viable career again.”
You may also like: Professional runner encourages others to be proud of their post-partum body
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
