Cross-Nursing

Would You Cross-Nurse?

July 28, 2008

You run out for an errand, leaving your friend in charge of watching your baby. While you're grabbing some sundry items, your tot throws a monstrous hunger fit. In a pinch, your friend decides to nurse your child, which instantly soothes him and restores harmony to the house.

What would your reaction be? Watch this video and see how this mom responded to that exact scenario. Then tell me, would you nurse your friend's child or allow her to breastfeed yours?

103 Comments

3 years 5 weeks

Hi everybody!!!!! All that you are now discussing in this place has actually happened in my place, where I had cross nursed babies of my own cousins and my friends. I do not find it to be any dismal of human anatomy. It is that thought of motherly instinct and willingness to save babies is that which is making progress. Not that it has got anything to do with spreading diseases or affecting the bodily immune of the baby’s health. Normally for me when i opted to cross nurse a child, i felt like this is an ordinary thing and that we had people who wanted me to take care of their babies and that the main point is the child needs to be nursed (save the child). I felt it as a blessing to cross nurse other children as to their ability to get nutrients in any form and that spreading has saved children. Even the son of my house maid was breastfed by me as my house maid had no milk to produce in her breasts. Initially the thought of breastfeeding babies through wet-nursing and cross nursing was thought to be ebbed to people of lower standards, but that is not so. It is a motherly instinct to give nourishment more than anything. NOURISHMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just think about that. Have a thought!!!! TO SAVE THE WORLD. WE THE WOMEN ARE THE MOTHERS FOR THIS WORLD. Mrs. Kamala Ram kr7830@gmail.com

3 years 5 weeks

Cross nursing is a very much traditional thing and that people should continue to concentrate on that. Proteins and vitamins differ from person to person. If a child is shared of these different proteins, then cross nursing would be a necessity. For me, I started breastfeeding in my house when i was 14 and I started developing galactorrhea. At that time, I was advised to breastfeed and that I started doing so with my niece and nephew who were children of two of my cousins. In the beginning, I felt a bit of a difficulty with the children nursing, sometimes one would nurse and the other would not and both would at the same time. When my mother was pregnant for the 5th time and she delivered a healthy boy, but the difficulty was she was not having any milk in her breasts and that I offered to breastfeed my brother and now till today I breastfeed my brother and he is aged 4 years. Also I have cross nursed many children near my house not just for name, but for purpose of saving lives. Kamala_Ram kr7830@gmail.com

Xaede 4 years 41 weeks

First and foremost, Greggie's breastfeeding decisions are between her and her pediatrician. No amount of internet trolling should affect that. And here's a direct quote from the website I posted below.. "How long should a mother breastfeed? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mother and baby desire. The World Health Organization recommends continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond." On topic... I feel unless it is a very close friend you have discussed cross-nursing with and trust, it should be avoided completely. Issues such as prescription medications, recreational drug use, and virus transmission such as HIV or Hepatitis C make it too dangerous for me to ever consider.Though there is a small risk of transmitting diseases through milk, it's a risk I'd never take. If you need more info, check out the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm Another good website is The LeLeche League. Though they can be a bit fanatical at times, most of their information is good. http://www.llli.org/

Great Sommelier 4 years 42 weeks

No one on this thread has said two year olds are too old to nurse. The common consensus seems to be 3+.

Mommy of Three 4 years 42 weeks

I don't understand why it is disturbing or inappropriate for a 2 year old to ask to nurse but alright for them to ask for food, drinks, or anything else. My almost 2 year old asks to 'nurse please' and I let her. I do not let her pull down my shirt but I consider that to be teaching manners, as in, ask for something nicely, which she is learning. Disturbing, inappropriate? Not at all.

joygwilson 4 years 42 weeks

and one note before I leave this post never to return- breastfeeding is wonderful. it is how a woman's body was designed to feed her children. go for it! I have no problem with it. my final thought is that cross nursing is absolutely, without a doubt, disgusting, inappropriate, unnatural, etc. I will never do it, nor would I want to associate with those that do. it creates an unnatural attachment between child and breast that is not intended. what would happen if a child preferred someone else's breast to its own mother? how sad that would be. gross. nasty.

joygwilson 4 years 42 weeks

steviasweet- in response to your comment about my comment- I am not ignorant nor am I stupid. I am fully aware that a child, a baby, will cry when they are hungry. Obviously! When I say "ask for it" I dont mean cry. I mean, verbally ask. Verbally reach up and pull down mom's shirt knowing what hides underneath. I worked at a portait studio in Atlanta for a few years that photograhed families and children. many, many moms would breastfeed their BABIES in between sittings. One mom came in with a two year old, and she crawled up in the moms lap, pulled her shirt down to expose her breast and asked "ok, mommy I gonna eat now" and the mom let her. Honestly- that is disturbing. I know the child has no idea that is inappropriate, but the mother does. shame on her.

macgirl 4 years 42 weeks

Wow this thread got off topic really fast mostly thanks to someone calling loving caring moms "nutso". I wouldn't cross nurse mostly because I didn't get to traditionally nurse my children and was only able to pump and bottle feed breast milk for less than two months both times. I don't have any issues with formula and find it a fine alternative to breast feeding. Obviously some would disagree but the fact that I have a brilliant 9 year old and a thriving 6 month old I have evidence to support my choices (oh and before you poo poo, I was nursed for 2 weeks and formula fed, gasp in the 70's when it was even less refined and I'm doing fantastic as well). I used to be in the camp of the "no nursing past one crowd" and one of the moms on lilsugar posted a comment that contained something along the lines of how heartwarming it was when her little daughter would come up to her and say the word "nuss" and it changed my mind. Who am I to say it's wrong? It didn't work out for me in a way I would have liked so I never made it to the point where I had to make a choice or let the cards fall where they may.

macgirl 4 years 42 weeks

Great Sommelier 4 years 42 weeks

Point out one post where anyone said bfing in general is gross.

YayaOzoHead 4 years 42 weeks

Wow, I'm just shocked at the negative reactions on here to breastfeeding. There is nothing gross about giving your child the best nutrition possible.

bluesarahlou 4 years 42 weeks

Hmmmm....maybe it was the formula industry...

bluesarahlou 4 years 42 weeks

I've said this on a previous post...my mom and her circle of close friends cross-nursed us kids all the time. I don't see anything wrong with it, as long as the person offering her boob is someone I know. And wasn't the whole reason humans started drinking cow's milk because of a campaign AGAINST breastfeeding, because it was originally thought to be less beneficial? Which has since been completely debunked. That's what breasts are for! Feeding babies! I'm not positive about the specifics...I'll do some research...but I'm pretty sure that's where it came from.

bluesarahlou 4 years 42 weeks

Greggie 4 years 42 weeks

I'd already stated that my feelings on peer pressure, I didn't think you needed me to state it again. We had no problems whatsoever with daycare and my nursing 2 and 3 year olds. They never asked to nurse there, and the other kids couldn't have cared less the one or two times it was mentioned. "My very first sentence was that humans are the ONLY organism that drinks milk outside of infancy. And it isn't my point that it should be switched at two, it is the American Acadamy of Pediatrics. If there is no difference between a child who is formula fed and one who is bfed past the age of three, why take the risk of damage to your child?"Am I supposed to refute the first sentence? Because animals don't, we shouldn't? Animals can eat their young as well, or toss them out of a nest if they're not healthy. I don't follow their lead. And like I said, there's nothing to refute about AAP recommending the cow's milk change, but cow's milk and breastmilk are not the same. AAP does recommend the change, however they do not recommend weaning at the same age. There are "at least" recommendations for nursing, but not weaning as there is from cow's milk.There is no risk of damage for my child nursing until they're three or more. I believe my children are better off having nursed for their individual times, but that doesn't make them better than other children. Just a better choice for us.

Greggie 4 years 42 weeks

I'd already stated that my feelings on peer pressure, I didn't think you needed me to state it again. We had no problems whatsoever with daycare and my nursing 2 and 3 year olds. They never asked to nurse there, and the other kids couldn't have cared less the one or two times it was mentioned. "My very first sentence was that humans are the ONLY organism that drinks milk outside of infancy. And it isn't my point that it should be switched at two, it is the American Acadamy of Pediatrics. If there is no difference between a child who is formula fed and one who is bfed past the age of three, why take the risk of damage to your child?" Am I supposed to refute the first sentence? Because animals don't, we shouldn't? Animals can eat their young as well, or toss them out of a nest if they're not healthy. I don't follow their lead. And like I said, there's nothing to refute about AAP recommending the cow's milk change, but cow's milk and breastmilk are not the same. AAP does recommend the change, however they do not recommend weaning at the same age. There are "at least" recommendations for nursing, but not weaning as there is from cow's milk. There is no risk of damage for my child nursing until they're three or more. I believe my children are better off having nursed for their individual times, but that doesn't make them better than other children. Just a better choice for us.

star486 4 years 42 weeks

I completely 100% agree SugaSuga

Great Sommelier 4 years 42 weeks

And, I will repost this as you didn't answer about the negative effects this could have on the child. "That is why I said two. There is no reason to bf after that. The child can get all the nutrition it needs from eating real food. No one said the mothers were avoiding giving their children other nutrition. But by three the child should be learning to choose nutritious foods like any other child or adult. Kids by three are quite intuitive and realize what is happening in the world around them. They already get their feelings hurt. My nephew knocked his front tooth out on the coffee table when he was two, and by three other kids were making fun of him, and he would cry. Many three year olds are in preschool, that adds a peer factor that was mentioned earlier. This opens a whole new can of worms. There are millions and millions of children who are formula fed from birth who these children who are bf until 3+ are no healthier than. It seems selfish and purely for the mother's benefit of holding on to their child and keeping them in baby type terms than just letting them grow up. To everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn." Do you think there are no social risks to breast feeding that late? You admiting that the children are no healthier, so why risk it?

Great Sommelier 4 years 42 weeks

And, I will repost this as you didn't answer about the negative effects this could have on the child."That is why I said two. There is no reason to bf after that. The child can get all the nutrition it needs from eating real food. No one said the mothers were avoiding giving their children other nutrition. But by three the child should be learning to choose nutritious foods like any other child or adult. Kids by three are quite intuitive and realize what is happening in the world around them. They already get their feelings hurt. My nephew knocked his front tooth out on the coffee table when he was two, and by three other kids were making fun of him, and he would cry. Many three year olds are in preschool, that adds a peer factor that was mentioned earlier. This opens a whole new can of worms. There are millions and millions of children who are formula fed from birth who these children who are bf until 3+ are no healthier than. It seems selfish and purely for the mother's benefit of holding on to their child and keeping them in baby type terms than just letting them grow up. To everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn."Do you think there are no social risks to breast feeding that late? You admiting that the children are no healthier, so why risk it?

Great Sommelier 4 years 42 weeks

My very first sentence was that humans are the ONLY organism that drinks milk outside of infancy. And it isn't my point that it should be switched at two, it is the American Acadamy of Pediatrics. If there is no difference between a child who is formula fed and one who is bfed past the age of three, why take the risk of damage to your child? Seems pretty selfish to me.

Greggie 4 years 42 weeks

Oh wait, there's the cow's milk past two point as well - I don't think cow's milk is ever necessary, so I can't refute your point that it should be switched at age two. We use cow's milk, but that doesn't mean I think everyone has to do so, a balanced diet doesn't require it. We simply make it a part of our balanced diet since my children like it.However, breastmilk and cow's whole milk aren't all that comparable in that point. Breastmilk isn't dairy and contains immunities that cow's milk doesn't, and as someone pointed out, changes constantly to give the child what they need. An age where whole milk becomes more than what a child need isn't the same as breastmilk. A child doesn't NEED either milk, but that doesn't mean it's not still healthy and helpful.

Greggie 4 years 42 weeks

Oh wait, there's the cow's milk past two point as well - I don't think cow's milk is ever necessary, so I can't refute your point that it should be switched at age two. We use cow's milk, but that doesn't mean I think everyone has to do so, a balanced diet doesn't require it. We simply make it a part of our balanced diet since my children like it. However, breastmilk and cow's whole milk aren't all that comparable in that point. Breastmilk isn't dairy and contains immunities that cow's milk doesn't, and as someone pointed out, changes constantly to give the child what they need. An age where whole milk becomes more than what a child need isn't the same as breastmilk. A child doesn't NEED either milk, but that doesn't mean it's not still healthy and helpful.

Greggie 4 years 42 weeks

Great Som, your points are all opinion, what am I supposed to refute? I'd already stated my differing opinions. I mean, there's the whole thing about the World Health Organization recommending it to two and then as long as is mutually desireable, but that still leaves "after two" to an opinion and personal comfort level of what's desireable. There isn't anything new there - we disagree on what's considered appropriate. I don't think formula fed children or children nursed for shorter amounts of time are less healthy, less intelligent, less stable. I never even implied that I do, so that's a part of your post I cannot refute either. There is the refute of breastmilk being glorified sweat, but you didn't say it and others had already covered it.

Greggie 4 years 42 weeks

Great Sommelier 4 years 42 weeks

Suga, mom's need time too. There are tons of us on here who have kids. Sometimes you catch us during nap time or when they are otherwise occupied. Just needed to clear that up!

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