Wet Nursing ~ Cross NursingFirst off what is the difference between wet nursing and cross nursing? Wet-nursing is when somebody permanently breastfeeds somebody else’s baby usually for payment (employed by the mother), cross nursing is usually done when mom is unavailable…usually done between friends and family. When mom allows a breastfeeding family member to breastfeed her own child, it’s either because she herself is unable to breastfeed or during times when mom is at work (not available) Sometimes moms may even become a breastfeeding babysitter for one another and cross nurse each other's children, many people compare sharing breastmilk to adultery, being weird and inappropriate... others just see it as a natural, logical and practical solution, it is in the end an individual decision to be made. Cross nursing can also be a way for a mom to stimulate breast milk supply if her own baby is not able to do so, due to being very premature or having problems like birth defects or sucking problems. 
Cross nursing can be used as a way for an adoptive mother to induce lactation with an experienced baby. Meanwhile her adopted child can be breastfed by the mom that has a full breast milk supply, thus teaching baby how to breastfeed. The history of wetnursing In ancient times when a mother died, another woman would raise and breastfeed the baby. Sometimes group nursing was even practiced (when a group of mothers breastfeed the same child) By the 18th century it had become unfashionable by rich people to breastfeed, they saw the practice as something that only poor people did, and would actually hire ladies for this specific purpose. Becoming a wet nurse sometimes meant neglecting your own child's need for breast milk. When formula was finally introduced, they where needed less and less. And with the rise of AIDS people where warned that the virus could enter the breast milk which made the practice even more scarce. Safety precautions when looking for a wetnurse… - She should be disease free (should be screened before the time) - Healthy and taking no medication - Should not smoke, drink excessive alcohol or coffee (or other caffeinated products) Warnings about wet nursing and cross nursing - Mothers who cross nurse should watch out that their own milk supplies don’t diminish (your milk supply will decrease if you are not stimulating your breasts through breast feeding) - Make sure the woman that is breastfeeding your child is free from sickness and diseases…suggest a few tests before you start cross nursing. - It could disrupt the maternal bond between mother and baby. The bottom line is, what is best for baby? Human breast milk... so if baby can’t receive breast milk from mom…why not let (a trusted) somebody else breastfeed your baby?
More on the history of wet nursing Other pages on “breastfeeding problems” in connection with breast milk sharing - Reasons to breastfeed (benefits)
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