Did you know that a woman can breast feed a child she did not give birth to. Ever heard of a wet nurse? For most of my life I thought it was peculiar that there was such a thing as a wet nurse. I assumed that the way it worked was that a royal woman (too busy or uncomfortable with the idea) or one who could not produce milk would seek out a woman who was with child or currently nursing and ask her to nurse in the mother's place. I presumed this would go on for as long as requested and then the nursing mother would finally be able to return to her own child whom she had been neglecting all the while. I never questioned my assumptions and it wasn't until a few years ago that I spoke with a friend who has adopted an infant and shared her story with me. When she mentioned she had nursed the child I was confused. It turns out that milk production is not directly related to pregnancy, although pregnancy of course stimulates milk production. There are different ways to stimulate milk production and you can research that on your own or talk to me privately.
But isn't that neat?!
Being a huge advocate for breast feeding babies, I was thrilled to learn this and it took no time before I was reading up on it and had decided that I would want to try that if ever I adopted an infant. Though some find it controversial, I have trouble understanding why. Nursing a child is perfectly natural and there is so much history and research to back the benefits of it (oral motor strengthening, bonding between mother and child, immune system boosts, nourishment at it's purest level, saving money and time, and more). A woman's body is beautifully designed to carry and nurture a child both during and after pregnancy and when a woman and child can nurse effectively, I encourage it.
Thank you, dear friend (I hope you know who you are)for sharing your story with me so that I may some day try to nourish my child in this precious way.
No comments:
Post a Comment