Have you heard the story about the mum who let five strangers breastfeed her baby?
She was taken into hospital and put on strong medication so she couldn’t feed her 10-month-old son herself, and the baby wouldn’t take a bottle or formula.
So she put a shout out on a breastfeeding Facebook page she’s a member of and within an hour a total stranger arrived at the hospital to help. Over the next few days five different women fed her baby for her, and hundreds more volunteered their services, until she was off the medication and able to take over again.
I think this is an amazing story, and if I came across such a plea I would definitely offer to help. (I’ve only got to hear another baby cry in a coffee shop and I get the letdown reflux).
Although I haven’t donated breast milk with either of mine I have several friends who have donated their milk to their local neo natal unit milk banks for babies whose mums can’t feed them for a host of reasons, such as being too poorly, or because their baby was born too soon and their milk hasn’t come in yet.
There’s really no difference between this story of the mum who enlisted volunteer wet nurses and accepting donated milk, except that you’re cutting out the middleman and getting it straight from the horse’s mouth. Or boob.
But would I let a stranger breastfeed my baby? My instinct says no, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t want someone else sharing that special bond between me and my baby. But it’s not about me. What if my baby really wouldn’t take milk from anywhere else? What then? The truth is I just don’t know.
But what I find most interesting about the whole story is that the baby in question happily accepted the boobs of total strangers he had never met before, with different scents and pheromones and tastes. I find that absolutely fascinating.
There’s me thinking I’m the only one who can give Little B what he needs, and the truth is he probably doesn’t care where it comes from. Typical.
What do you think? Would you let a stranger breastfeed your baby?
Linking up with…
I saw this story on fb and found it odd. I would accept donated breakmilk from the hospital but the way she did it so freely worries me. If you’re not screening women before accepting their milk, surely this is potentially more harmful than just ensuring the baby gets enough milk in solid form such as yoghurts, cheeses, cooking with it and so on. My 2 both were allergic to dairy and as I only breastfed for a couple of months, had to be inventive with ways of them.getting enough calcium into their diet. An interesting debate though. Thanks for sharing #fridayfrolics
Although the women weren’t medically screened perhaps she asked them a few questions and took their word for it and then went with her instinct…
Oh this is such a tricky one and I totally get where you are coming from. I feel that breastfeeding is such a personal thing between you and your baby that I don’t how I would feel about someone else doing it. But then again it is amazing that there are people willing to help like that and if it means they are breast milk. Argh. I don’t know it is such a tough one! I am going to go and ponder on this for a while! 🙂 #fridayfrolics
I would offer to help and offer my milk in a heartbeat, however I would have to think a lot longer about accepting milk from a stranger…
Personally I don’t think I would, unless my babies life depended on it of course, but for me that’s a bond that me and my baby would share and not another woman and my child. I am far too jealous by nature to allow that to happen, especially when they are tiny!! Very interesting though how the baby took to another woman, they are so fickle aren’t they!! ‘#picknmix
Yes fickle is the right word! Little monkeys…
First reaction….hell, NO.
More reasonable reaction…well, it depends…what if that was the only option for me…
Moral of my lil reactions -never judge until you feel how the shoe pinches.
Glad the baby was okay and the mother got the help she needed.
My knee-jerk reaction was no too, but if I was actually in the situation it might be a different story…
Honestly? No I wouldn’t. One, because I wouldn’t want my baby to bond with abother woman more than with me and two because you just do t know that strangers medical history. You don’t know what drugs they may have taken themselves and you don’t know what diseases they may have.
However, if my baby really wouldn’t take anything other than breast then yes of course you’d have to because I wouldn’t let my baby starve, but I would want all doners to be screened.
#fridayfrolics
It’s interesting that this mum doesn’t seem to have asked about medical histories. I don’t really worry too much about what might be passed to Little B through my milk as I once took part in an experiment for a newspaper in which my breast milk was screened for all the ‘nasties’ it’s supposed to contain, like household toxins. It turned out it didn’t contain any because my body had done exactly what it’s supposed to do and filtered them out!
Ooh interesting one – I think I’d find it a bit weird but if the baby really wouldn’t take a bottle then obviously I’d put their health first and allow it. I would also be totally jealous that someone else was sharing that bond with my wee bubba 🙂 #picknmixfriday
Yes I don’t think I’d like seeing someone else feeding Little B at all. I’d be a green eyed dragon!!
One thing I thought was really sweet was that the mum said her baby looked at her before latching on to the first woman, almost as though to ask permission, and didn’t go to drink until she nodded.
I think it is something I would consider if needed – as it is, my daughter will take a bottle if needed, but if she wouldn’t then it is something I’d be happy to consider, so long as she was getting fed! Had to feed via a syringe once and it was a horrible experience.
I’d also be willing to help if someone nearby needed donors.
Yes I read that bit too – it’s so funny how even babies look for approval. Luckily Little B was also happy to take a bottle with expressed milk…
Hmm this is a hard one. I think if my baby’s life depended on it and it was the only way they’d get fed then yes but I think I would be quite upset that my baby may be formimg that special bond breastfeeding creates with another woman. Very interesting post xx #picknmix
I find it so interesting that the baby was happy to switch between different mums like that…
Is there a fence somewhere, I need to sit down? It’s very thought provoking though. Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
I’m definitely on the fence too – it’s so hard to know what I’d do unless I was actually in the situation…
I found it interesting that the baby accepted milk from all those different people too, as I am so used to thinking about breastfeeding as something that’s just between Piglet and I. Would I do it for someone else? Yes, would I accept it? From someone I trust, yes. Not so sure about random strangers though. #justanotherlinky
It’s such a sensitive subject and obviously everyone has their own feelings and opinions, but I’m with you on this one!
Interesting! I think it’s a lovely story and I’d certainly donate milk. I’m trying to imagine how I would feel about letting my baby breastfeed from someone else… jealous! But how wonderful that the baby still gets breast milk and it would make it more likely that I could go back to breastfeeding afterwards wouldn’t it (none of that ‘nipple confusion’ the health visitor told me was a risk with mixing breast and bottle feeding). So… maybe… #sundaystars
Yes this baby certainly didn’t get nipple confusion! I’d definitely feel jealous too though…
That’s fascinating that story. If my baby wouldn’t take anything else I wouldn’t hesitate to let them feed off someone else, what’s the alternative? If I had a lot of money I’d probably employ a wet nurse too as I really don’t enjoy breast feeding but I’m not rich so I gave colostrum and then formula X #justanotherlinky
That’s so interesting to hear you’d employ a wet nurse! Perhaps that could be an extra source of revenue for me as I have loads of milk!
That’s really kind that people offered to do that in her hour of need. For me I couldn’t imagine doing it or letting someone do it to my child, that’s something between me and my children and I’d personally be uncomfortable with the idea of anyone outside us getting involved. But different strokes for different folks! It’s nice that people do support eachother like that x
It was overwhelming to read how many people came forward – I think that says a lot about society, especially with all the horrible things there are going on in the world…
I would let them if it was needed, if my baby is hungry and i’m not around for whatever reason then sure, don’t want a hungry baby.
I think that’s what it all boils down to – the baby, and if they’re hungry I’d definitely go to whatever lengths to make them happy… Thanks for popping by!
My instinctual reaction says absolutely NOT!!!! That’s MY baby, and no one gets to share that bond with him.
But then I think about my son. He truly will not take a bottle or cup. He’s so stubborn that he once went 13 hours without eating when I had to have my MIL watch him 🙁
How selfless of the other women to offer to feed her baby. The way I see it: If they’re breastfeeding their baby, odds are they don’t have any serious disease that can be passed through milk. It would still be extremely hard as mama though, my jealousy would be sky high.
What a fab topic for a post! #justanotherlinky
Thank you, glad you like the post! My instinct is the same as you and my jealousy would be sky high too!x
I wanted to be a wetnurse before I had kids (obviously not untill I had had them..) And would have loved to after having sassy because I really loved breastfeeding. I wouldnt want to be watching the baby feeding from someone else, I’d want them to take him into a different room as it would make me feel worse watching it. But rationally I’d allow it.
That’s so interesting you wanted a wet nurses beforehand – it sounds like an old fashioned thing but I wonder if wet nurses could actually make a comeback?!
I’m not sure what I would do, I saw it all unfold on Facebook. If Ava had been tiny I would have really struggled as she wouldn’t take a bottle. Also even if she had I wouldn’t have had enough stashed milk for more than a couple of bottles and she couldn’t have normal formula because of her allergies. It was lovely that people were so generous to not only help but to travel to do it. Thanks for linking to #PickNMix
I think all these mums were so generous, especially because they had their own babies to feed too. I also keep a stash of milk in the freezer ‘in case’ but that wouldn’t last long either…
Im not entirely sure what to think of this. It is a lovely thing that these people didn’t but I honestly don’t think I could do it or have my child feed from someone else. Thanks for linking up to #justanotherlinky xx
This subject had certainly divided people! I think it’s very hard to know what I’d do unless I was in the situation with a hungry baby…