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Wet Nursing
May 02, 2007
Wet nursing has been all over the news lately. Time magazine and even the Today Show have looked at the issue. These stories say that this age-old practice is making a comeback, but I have yet to see any real statistics on the issue. So I'm a little skeptical. Especially since all the news stories cite a claim by one particular nanny agency that more moms are looking for wet nurses. Smacks of PR, don't you think?
If you've been following these stories, a few things to keep in mind. If you hire someone to breastfeed, or let a friend casually nurse your baby, you need to know as much as possible about the nursing mom's health history. Viruses can be spread through breastfeeding. See this information from La Leche League.
Finally, take a look at some recent posts from the Black Breastfeeding Blog to learn about the tragic connections between slavery and wet nursing in America.
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Comments
Reading Gone With the Wind at the tender age of 11 introduced me to the concept of wet nursing.
I have a friend who is hypercritical of gals who don't breastfeed. Once, she declared "that's just bull**it when gals claim they don't have enough supply. how did women feel their babies in the old days? Did their babies starve?"
I had to point out to her the whole concept of wet nursing.
Posted by: kelli | May 2, 2007 10:39 AM