Would You Breastfeed Someone Else’s Baby?

The two moms in the video, Chrystal and Stephanie, are two friends nursing one another's children.  Stephanie babysits Crystal's baby during the day and nurses her as needed as well as nursing her own son. Crystal returns the favor when she babysits for Stephanie.  They both agree that the arrangement works well for them and will continue as long as the children are nursing or as long as they are babysitting for one another.

The moms say they understand that others might be concerned or view their nursing relationships as controversial, but they aren't worried.

In the video, the interviewers ask a few community members about their thoughts on the two moms wet nursing.  One critic worries that it isn't safe to share milk because you don't know what another person might be ingesting or what sorts of communicable illnesses she may have.

Chrystal and Stephanie say they aren't concerned about any such diseases, citing that they were both pregnant at the same time and tested for a number of diseases for which they were both negative. According to these moms, they feel more comfortable nursing their children in this way than they would giving their children formula or cow's milk.

Another critic has concerns about having “someone else's kid” attached to private areas of the body, but as one community member points out, it's just biology.  Chrystal and Stephanie argue that this is what those parts are meant for: nursing, so there's nothing uncomfortable or awkward for them about nursing children that are not their own.

What about their partners?  Chrystal says her husband was originally concerned about entering into a milk sharing relationship, but feels comfortable in the arrangement with Stephanie because they know her well and Stephanie does not smoke, drink, and eats a well balanced diet.  Stephanie says her partner is also very supportive of the milk sharing relationship and thinks “it's cool that people do [wet nurse].”

What do you think about milk sharing and wet nursing? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section.