Moms: would you breastfeed a friend's child? (toddler, parents, permanent)

[cindersslipper]

Assuming that I was able to bf in the first place (I really failed badly, twice) I would be happy to express and give it to WHOEVER.

But no, I would not be comfortable in the Actual Mother Actually Breastfeeding role in case it bonded her baby to me instead.

It would be like sleeping with her husband or something. Not what a Friend does.

[Utopian Slums]

Originally Posted by germaine2626

I believe that years and years ago many wealthy women would hire wet nurses to fed their babies so they wouldn't have the hassle.

Exactly. Now in what we know now about bonding and genetics, makes me wonder how these Lil suckered grew up imbibing "the help's" DNA.

[cindersslipper]

Originally Posted by Utopian Slums

Exactly. Now in what we know now about bonding and genetics, makes me wonder how these Lil suckered grew up imbibing "the help's" DNA.

Some would suggest that being a child of an upperclass neglectful inbred was a far more likely explanation...

[Murk]

If the kid was starving and couldn't get nourishment elsewhere, sure. Otherwise, no.

It seems a person thing to me. Mothers talk about the close bond they develop with their babies from nursing (not that I necessarily believe bottle fed babies bond any less).

[germaine2626]

I breast fed both of my children. If a close friend or my sister needed me to breast fed their child, while I was still producing milk, because of some emergency (they were in the hospital or something) I would do it. Would I do that for a stranger's child? Probably not.

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by tangelag

I don't know what the big deal is about this issue. In the past there were 'wet nurses' for just this reason.

Yes - they didn't nurse out of friendship or love...they did it for money.

[ADVentive]

I would certainly nurse a friend or relative's child if asked to. No need for an emergency. I have offered on two occasions. In the first, my niece was having trouble latching and my SIL suspected that it was because of her nipples. I offered to see if the baby would latch to me, to see if the issue was with the nipples or with the baby, but my SIL refused and thought that was weird. In the second, my sister was supplementing her new baby with formula until her milk came in and I offered to pump some for her to use instead. She also refused because she thought it was weird and gross. Honestly, I was kind of hurt and offended that they both felt that way about it. I am not talking about strangers here, but my closest family members.

[sonderella]

Yes, I would do it for a friend, no problem.

[WildColonialGirl]

Originally Posted by ScarletG

That is not how nursing supply in typical mothers.

Yes it is.

http://cdn5.kellymom.com/images/charts/comp-feeding.gif

[Sommie789]

No!