Wierd question here....

Hillbilly Housewife wrote: but would you allow someone else to breastfeed your child?

I was just chatting with a friend of mine who works in daycare, where her own 6 month old bfeeding daughter is, and a mother there forgot her pumped milk the other day. She asked if my friend could breastfeed her daughter in the morning until she could go home and pick up the pumped milk...

My friend told her she had some formula handy if the mom didn't mind - but she did... and the mom asked her again if she could breastfee dher child. My friend didn,t know what to reply and told her she would, but gave her formula anyways.

would you ever consider that?

Or would you ever breastfeed someone else's child if asked?

amymom replied: I know it is done in other countrys but no I would not ask and would not do it. Sorry to offend anyone. (I might express and feed a bottle, not sure since this won't be a problem for me.)

MomToMany replied: Yes, on both accounts. If I left my baby with someone, and s/he was really hungry, and the babysitter was also a nursing mom, I wouldn't have a problem with it. And I would do the same for another mom.

Did the mom tell the other mom she gave the baby formula?

gr33n3y3z replied: I would only do it IF that child was starving
I would just think the whole time your doing something for the good of a child lol

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
No, unfortunately. She should have though, imo....

MomToMany replied:
Wow, yeah, she should have .

Hillbilly Housewife replied: I've been thinking about all afternoon though.

I think I could feed a child, especially if it was a starvin marvin...lol and I could probably accept that someone else breasfed my child - IF and ONLY IF I was in a tight spot and there was nothing else to feed my child with, kwim?

I both breastfed and formula fed my kids - so I wouldn't have had a problem with someone giving my child a bottle of formula until my milk was available...

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I agree, that's what I told her.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: They actually have breastmilk banks now. Donors have to be screened for hepatitis and HIV, but adoptive parents who want to give kids the benefits of bfing and moms who have had a mastectomy or otherwise can't bf can order from the bank. I don't know about bfing someone else's child though. expressing and bottlefeeding though, yes. And I agree, the mom should have been told that the baby was given formula. That is only fair.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
That's pretty cool... I would sure HOPE that the donors were screened... lol

Adoptive parents can breastfeed, though, can't they? I mean if they 'prepare' ?

MommyToAshley replied: I wouldn't ask another parent to BF my daughter, nor would I BF another baby. It would be too awkward for me. Plus, BF is a special bond between Mom and child, and the mother's body makes milk based on the baby's needs at that particular time in development.

I would have asked the parent to go home and pick up the expressed BM (or to pump before she left)... the baby will not starve in thje amount of time it takes to pick it up. I wouldn't have a problem offering formula as an alternative, but I wouldn't give it to the baby without consent.

This is just my opinion and what I would do, others have to do what they feel is right.

PrairieMom replied: As a mother, I couldn't imagine asking another mother to BF my child. I would have gotten back in the car with the baby and went home to get the milk. If it were me, a formula bottle would have been fine.
I also think it was super uncool to give formula with out permission. what if that baby was allergic, or wouldn't tolerate it? I would never take that kind of a risk with some one elses baby!

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
I agree.

amynicole21 replied: Wow... that's a tough call. I would bfeed another baby, but allowing someone else to bfeed my kid is kind of hard for me to fathom. Certainly if there was no alternative, but it would be with great reservation.

DansMom replied: I would BF my sister's or best friend's child in an emergency if asked, but not someone I don't know really well, and only if we had agreed that it was something we were both comfortable with. I wouldn't have asked anyone to BF Daniel nor want them to because of his dietary restrictions---cows milk protein would be passed on in their milk.

Allergy issues are just the tip of the iceberg though. As far as people you don't know really well... you don't really know their lifestyle. Do they secretly smoke pot or drink too much, KWIM? Do they take antidepressants or other prescriptions that may or may not be okay for an infant of a certain age? Of course, one assumes that a nursing mom is aware of what's going into her body---but addictions can get the better of people too.

I read an interesting book called Fresh Milk about breastfeeding that included some history of "wetnursing". Apparently even up through WWII wetnursing was more common in this country than people realize. It was something women could do for income, and before the days of formula there were women employed by hospitals to express milk for newborns. The book discussed some of the class issues entailed too, and also how different cultures and women in different countries approach the issue.

DansMom replied: Oh, I agree about the formula too---not a good idea to give that without permission. Daniel, for example, would have had a horrible allergic reaction to any formula except the super-hypo-allergenic kinds. What an odd situation though---I can understand not knowing what to do!

TANNER'S MOM replied: There was an actaul case here in Arkansas.. where a child care worker had a child who was fussy. Had never taken a bottle before .. cried the whole.. and after attempting to reach the parents which they wouldn't take off for.. she breastfed another persons baby.. and she went to jail for sexual assualt.

It was a voilation of the child rights.. and there was no disease testing etc. They actually closed the day care down.

The mother did say she provided formula, this was the child's first week off the breast exclusive..but the mother said she discussed that the child would be fussy with the day care and they had said they could handle it..

I would only breastfeed someone else's child in an emergency.. beyond being late for work to get the expressed milk. It would have to be life and death.

And I would never want someone to feed my child unless it was life and death. I too would feel my child was voilated.

luvbug00 replied:
*This responce has sencitive topics adressed please be aware before you continue*

I don't have the milk to do that but If I did and they signed a written concent form then yeah I would've. But I wouldn't ask that of somone I'm too shy.



yes they can. IF they prepare. They also have plastic nipples so you can place this mold over your breast and the baby will be drinking a doners milk and the baby will be nuching off the adoptive parents breast.\

you can also train your body to produce and I have to find the link that says

* this is a very sencitive topic*
but recently many homosexual men have been able to produce milk and choose to breastfeed their adopted children I read that it has the same benifits as a womans breastmilk. Now I'm not 100% sure of how and such I'm no doctor and I know that this very contrivercial but I just wanted to state that one doesn't have to be a birth parent to breast feed.

punkeemunkee'smom replied:


ITA!!! I would have been outraged if someone had breastfed DD without my permission and I don't think it was fair or wise on that mom's part to request it from a daycare worker! There are an abundance of diseases that can pass thru breastmilk and if you don't know the COMPLETE medical history you may be asking for something you really don't want your child exposed to! I agree that the mom should have been told "No I can't do that and if you don't want to go get the milk now all I can do is offer formula!" If it was a VERY close friend or my sister's baby and it was an emergency I would bf for that baby but I too would pump and give a bottle unless they were just starving and would not drink from a bottle-but there are alot of ifs there. One any given day-No I would not do so...

aspenblue1 replied: No I would not do that or ask anyone to nurse my child.

MyLuvBugs replied: Ahhh! No. My cousins did that with their boys. They each had a boy 6 months apart from each other, and when they'd baby sit the others kid, they'd BF both boys. UGH. Sends chills down my spine. I don't really know why, but it's just gross to me. No offense to anyone that things it's ok. I just personally would NEVER do it.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
Dude.... too wierd.

TsurugiButterfly replied: Not to make light of the situation, but I think I'll tell Mike about that when he gets up... Tristan keeps trying to eat off of him

I don't think I could stomach the idea of having another woman BF my son, even if it was my mom or my sisters or something. Heck, I don't even think I could ever muster the courage to ASK such a thing! I can't even imagine how I'd approach a subject like that. And by the same token, I don't think I'd be able to BF someone else's child.

Insanemomof3 replied: I would never ask someone else to breastfeed my child, I also would not nurse another persons child UNLESS it was life or death. I feel that it would be violating the child as well as violating the bond between the child and his/her mom. KWIM?

A&A'smommy replied: UM after thinking about it for a moment I do not think I could nurse someone elses child, and in no way would I EVER let someone else nurse MY child! Now I'm hoping to adopt someday and nurse that child but we will see!

CantWait replied: In the situation that was presented, I wouldn't do it and I wouldn't ask. The worker should have told the mom though that she would only give formula.

kimberley replied: as the babysitter, i would have to be pretty close to the parents/child to consider it. and i definitely would not give the baby formula without their knowledge. i would probably go as far as driving to the mom's work for a feeding instead. if i were the working mom, i would have come home or pumped at work and brought MY milk for MY child.