Photo: Mom sparks wet nursing debate after feeding sister’s baby

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A touching photo of a woman nursing her sister’s baby boy has sparked online debate about the concept of wet nursing.

Florida mom Melina Saenz was caring for her nephew, Aycen, when the baby boy wanted milk. Like pronto. After the poor little guy wouldn’t take a bottle of his mama’s expressed milk, the breastfeeding auntie did the only thing that seemed right: She nursed him. Then, Saenz fed her sister’s milk to her strictly bottle-fed son, Braylend. Two satisfied babies, right?

Saenz shared a photo of special experience with the online community, Breastfeeding Mama Talk. So far, her post has managed to attract more than 10,000 interactions.

As it turns out, not everyone is comfortable with the idea of wet nursing. “That’s kinda gross,” one person wrote. Another mom chimed in, sharing a more respectful personal preference: “I wouldn’t mind using another woman’s breastmilk if it were bagged if I couldn’t produce any, I just couldn’t be comfortable with letting my child actually latch to another woman.”

The thing is, milk sharing/wet nursing has actually been a thing since, well, forever. Founder of Breastfeeding Mama Talk, Kristy Kemp, jumped in to defend the photo against judgemental comments. “Wet nursing has been done since the beginning of time people,” Kemp wrote in a comment. “I understand if wet nursing isn’t something you think you would ever do or want to do, but that being said, most of the time wet nursing is being done because it’s NEEDED. It’s because for whatever reason the mom can’t breastfeed in that moment or at all.”

Saenz shared with BabyCenter what inspired her to share the photo.

“As a mom whose child doesn’t latch, I was super excited to share my first real breastfeeding experience, even if it was with my nephew,” she said. “And quite honestly, I didn’t think much of it because it just seemed like the right thing to do. I couldn’t imagine being selfish and letting him starve. I have a perfect supply, so why wouldn’t I share the wealth? Right? I know my sister, or anyone for that matter in my family, would do the same for me. I do appreciate all the positive comments and hope my picture will help educate and make wet nursing somewhat of a norm.”

(Pictured below: Saenz’s sister, Lyric, and Saenz’s son, Braylend)

My thoughts on this photo are as follows: I love it! A loving aunt is doing what needs to be done in order to make sure her nephew is fed. It’s beautiful. Both babies in this situation were fed and happy — and the photo helps make baby steps toward normalizing something that definitely isn’t “kinda gross.”

Photos courtesy of Melina Saenz

What do you think of this wet nursing photo? Would you breastfeeding a baby that isn’t yours, if needed?

Share your thoughts!

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