Actress Salma Hayek took a humanitarian trip to Sierra Leone in an effort to fight preventable deaths from tetanus. Whether you are pro- or anti-vaccine, the piece is fascinating, in particular because Salma Hayek talks passionately about breastfeeding. ABC News reported:
Hayek’s daughter, Valentina, turned 1 before the trip and the actress spoke about the importance of breast-feeding, especially in underdeveloped countries such as Sierra Leone. In fact doctors there say that because malnutrition is so rampant they would like to see women in Sierra Leone breast-feed for two years. But such behavior is rare. The reason? Men urge their wives …read more

Good Morning America aired an interesting piece on cross-nursing this morning. I thought it was quite balanced. I liked hearing the well-spoken mothers who were interviewed and I appreciated seeing the La Leche League position presented. In addition to the video clip the article is available on-line.

Have you breastfed a nursling other than your own? Your sister’s baby or your friend’s? Cross-nursing, or “shared feeding,” continues to be a hot topic, and I have been contacted by a television producer for a major morning news outlet in the United States. Please email me if you are interested in being put in touch with her to discuss your experience.

Cottontimer alerted me to a fascinating article in The Washington Post today, “Banking on Milk: Options Are Growing for Women Who Can’t Breast-feed” by Shannon Henry. Note that Henry interviewed blogger Jennifer Laycock of The Lactivist for the article!
Women may choose to supplement with another woman’s breast milk for many reasons–perhaps they have adopted a baby or they are taking a medication that is contraindicated for breastfeeding. Women seeking to supplement with another woman’s breast milk have several options:
1. One of the non-profit milk banks that are accredited members of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. This option …read more

There’s an interesting article entitled “Not Your Mother’s Milk” by Viv Groskop in yesterday’s Guardian on current trends in wet-nursing (hiring someone else to nurse your baby) or the more informal “cross-nursing” or “shared feeding” among close family members and friends. Groskop touches on the morality and legality of the practice around the world, and she mentions the fact that having a wet-nurse has become a status symbol in some countries and is becoming more popular in Hollywood.
For more on the subject, see what La Leche League has to say about wet-nursing and cross-nursing, and read about the history …read more