A close friend of mine just returned from a trip to Italy with her five-month-old son, husband and his family. All was well under the Tuscan sun until the last day of their vacation when her mother-in-law asked to hold the baby while they were out by the pool.
My friend obliged, but was shocked when she turned to check on them moments later. The granny had one boob out and was attempting to nurse her grandson. She chuckled and said, "Oh that one's not working. Let's try this one!" before switching the infant to the other breast where he suckled her nipple.
To find out how my friend handled the bizarre situation, read more.
Dumbfounded, my friend laughed and snapped a picture with her phone. In disbelief, she asked her husband if he could believe what his mother was doing when he walked outside. He was equally stunned and speechless.
When my friends told the grandfather (husband to the nursing grandma) about his wife's actions, he shrugged it off at first. But then confronted his wife saying, "Honey, did you really try to breastfeed the Bambino?" Abashedly she replied, "I'm not going to talk about it anymore! All I will say is that it was a good bonding experience for both of us!"
There aren't enough words to describe how I would feel if this happened to me. But these emotions come to mind — shock, disgust, anger, betrayal and confusion. I would be most concerned with my son having nipple confusion — what if he had rejected the mother's breast after having been introduced to another woman's bosoms? I'd also be disturbed by my mother–in–law's decision to try to breastfeed him. Obviously she was incapable of producing milk on a first time basis, but engaging in the act itself seems odd.
Does this story leave you feeling disturbed as well?
Source



H.I.S
Cheap Monday
Henrik Vibskov
How freaky and embarrassing for everyone involved. I'd be glad my MIL lived far away if this happened to me!
1With the amount of information given it's hard to tell how harmless this incident was or wasn't. It could hint at some serious instability in the grandma, or it could just be an idiosyncratic blip.
Time will tell.
that made me want to vomit, granny would never be alone with my kid again. Bonding my arse.
2oh my goodness that is completely nuts. i am 100% positive that neither of my mothers would do that. thank goodness i would freak
3sort of makes me feel sad for granny....maybe mind issues with her....or issues she had when trying to breastfeed her children when she was young....hopefully she was talked too and told to never do it again.
4but then again...ewwww.
Very Ick!!! I'm sure it was of no harm to the baby- more just confusion as to why there was no milk. But I agree with Caterpillar Girl, could you ever leave your child with this grandma again and be comfortable??? No!!!
5Whoa! I think I would have totally lost it. And I'm with the others who say that the baby would not be left alone with her again.
6wow
7I would not have been laughing or snapping pictures. I may have tried to get grandma committed, it's hard to say. If it was my mother rather than my mother-in-law, I would have had it out with her. I'm sure the friend's way of handling it was better, and I doubt it would actually be harmful to the baby, but that is so NOT COOL.
8I would have freaked out! That is so gross!
9wow, this is a very crazy story. Makes me wonder if grandma has some mental health problems
10This is disgusting... and very shocking.
11That's just gross. I think I would have tried to handle it somewhat gracefully, no screaming, but I definitely would have taken the baby off (gently) and I would have been firm on the fact that she woulnd't be allowed to hold the baby anymore unless she swore she'd never do it again! I think that's a weird thing to do.
12I can totally see my MIL doing this, and damn straight she'd never be alone with my baby again if she did. I wouldn't have laughed and snapped a picture, nor would I have waited long enough to point it out to my husband. I would've immediately taken my child back and informed her of the possibility of nipple confusion as well as causing a nursing strike if the baby now associated her scent with mine and things like that. In my head I'd be saying a lot of swear words, but to her face I'd be telling her that's completely unacceptable and to please never do it again. Then I'd never give her the chance to do it again.
13This is insane. I can't even imagine someone wanting to do that? Why would she think it was okay to try to breastfeed him? Wrong on so many levels!
14Honestly, I don't think that I could trust that person ever again! I was horrified & disgusted when I read this. It is disturbing that ANYONE would think that this would be acceptable! There is no way that she would ever be left alone with my kids.
15Isn't that what Rebecca de Mornay's character did in the movie "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle?" How f$%*n disturbing is that? I would be embarrassed to know this person. Creepy. And then I would b*tch-slap Grandma. Who cares if she's old and your husbands mother? Screw her.
16That is insane. I would never, ever let my child alone with her EVER again. That completely freaks me out.
17gross
18After my initial freak out over reading this I am concerned about grandma. Sounds like something is not right with her for sure
I just don't know how I would handle it. I would be so weirded out.
19yeah, not cool.
20CRAZY gross! that would be the last bonding experience alone time for my mother in law if i walked in on that. Glad the mother was able to laugh it off.
21the whole thing is just so confusing and disturbing
22
So very wrong! The grandma must have really missed the days when her son
was newborn, but I think she needs to see a therapist.
23I kinda feel sorry for the grandmother because she obviously misses those days with her own babies but it was still way inappropriate.
24What was the point of her trying to nurse? Did she not remember/know that she wouldn't be able to produce milk? Did she want to know what it felt like? Either way, yuck.
Eww. I can't even imagine my MIL doing this.
25What was the point of her trying to nurse? Did she not remember/know that she wouldn't be able to produce milk? Did she want to know what it felt like? Either way, yuck.
Eww. I can't even imagine my MIL doing this.
26The MIL breast feeding is kinda weird I agree, but my mom said she and her friends breastfeed each others babies all the time
27bluesarahlou--are you serious?
28Freaky times, for sure.
this is hysterically disturbing... I can't stop laughing but I also want to throw up. It's so "what's grosser than gross?" This takes the cake!
29i had to laugh at this story because it reminded me of "Family Guy" when Peter goes to a woman's resort and comes back and picks up Stewie and tries to breast feed and then Stewie stops and removes a nipple hair from his mouth and freaks out when he looks up to see Peter. I'm immature at times, sorry.
30Eww, that's really nasty!!! In way more ways than one....... where's the trashcan.....????
31and by the way......that Family Guy thing was hilarious.
32this is gross. But I would be more worried about the woman's sanity than my child. The child won't remember, thank god, but the poor mother is cursed forever, having to see that and remember it! So freakin' gross!
33Yup annie...they did. We're talkin about late 70's here though...dunno if people would still do it nowadays
34I think she took the pictures to prove it happened. Because if I told my husband that my mother tried to breastfeed my baby, I doubt that he would believe me. But my God, that's disgusting and sad. I think the Grandmother misses being a mother of a baby (in a very unhealthy way).
35this is weird among other things
36Seems a litle like molestation to me. Maybe I'm weird and I have no children but if this happened to me there is no chance they would be one on one from now on. I mean she did it in front of everyone and lives in a different country so maybe its a cultural thing that doesn't translate. Regardless it is not appropriate behavior.
37OMG - I think Granny has some serious issues and really needs some psych help! I would NEVER let her be alone with my kid again!
38That is truly disturbing. How do you trust her after that?
39no no no, but i expect some might think it's the norm, i remember reading once how some mothers actually hire wet nurses.
40Does she not realize that she's "dried up"? Additionally, doing it without permission is disturbing on a molestation level.
41A hired wet nurse or a friend nursing a friend's baby with permission is totally different. I'd absolutely nurse a friend's baby in an emergency situation if she asked me to but only in a dire emergency and only if it was requested. I cannot imagine ever just picking up a baby and popping out my boob for fun.
42Well, I've yet to have a baby, so I don't know how I would actually feel watching someone else suckle it, but I'm certainly not as appalled as all of you seem to be. For the better part of mankind's history, nobody would have raised an eyebrow at this kind of behavior. Women who lived in groups (villages, family, close neighbors etc) would commonly feed a hungry baby if they could. Wealthy women had designated "wet-nurses" (women who had just had children and were still lactating) to do the same. Chances are, when the husband was a baby, MIL let other people feed him and saw it as an act of affection. She was obviously embarrassed at the reaction it got and won't do it again, why deny her access to a child she obviously loves deeply?
43I just don't have the words to express myself on this one - way to weird
44haha i took too long typing
45I disagree that it's comparable to wetnursing, though. Wetnursing was lactating women being hired to nurse a baby, not an older woman with no milk throwing a baby on the breast without permission.
There are many types of problems that can result for baby. Sure, they're not probable, but they are possible. Doing that without permission is rude and I agree that it probably indicates some kind of problem with the MIL that she would think it's ok.
46One Word : GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!
47I haven't read through all of these comments here, but has anybody considered that she may have a slight case of senility or early Alzheimers? It is truly bizarre behavior. I wonder if she has always been so odd?
48If it were my MIL I would be very frank and ask her if she needed to see a mental health professional!
49I would seriously freak out if my MIL tried that. What a crazy story!
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