Arguments against
There are medical and psychological risks associated with cross-feeding. The biggest health concern is the possibility of infection being passed from the mother to the child.
In Africa, where wet nursing has been commonplace for years, mothers are now being discouraged from the practice because HIV can be carried in breast-milk.
Even in developed countries, anyone considering shared feeding is advised to make sure the other mother is screened for TB, hepatitis, HIV, herpes and syphilis, all of which could be transmitted in this way.
But the physical arguments are not just about the risk of disease. Every woman’s breast-milk is a unique substance created by her body for her baby.
It contains specific enzymes and antibodies designed to protect her child as well as nutrients which change as her baby grows.
Some critics of cross-feeding argue that this specific make-up will not necessarily suit another child.
There are also concerns that a baby could be affected psychologically by being fed so intimately by another woman. Breastfeeding is believed to play a crucial role in bonding between a mother and her child, and it’s thought cross-feeding could interfere with this bond.
Talking to mothers however, the overwhelming argument against shared feeding is the ‘yuck’ factor.
First-time mum to be Sophie won’t be able to breastfeed her baby when he’s born in November because she has to take strong medication after undergoing back surgery.
But her reaction to the idea of someone else doing it is unequivocal: ‘No. Absolutely not. I can’t say exactly what it is I don’t like about it, it’s just not right.”
What do you think? Talk about cross-feeding
