Even in the century before last, wet nurses were common in Russia, as well as in the rest of the world. More often than not, the children of aristocratic circles were nurtured by the nurse, who were nannies for their "dairy" children. Initially, high-class women gave their child to feed other women in order to become pregnant sooner, as feeding blocks the process of ovulation. Then this practice became a tradition, and this was a kind of high status certificate: the nurse, the nurse who looks after the child, while the mother can safely enjoy the royal or lordly life. It is a lot of sleep, rest and leave the child for their own business. Another reason for this popularity of nurses was the absence of mixtures that replace milk. If something happened to her mother or milk disappeared, the neighboring women would feed the child. With nurses there were no problems, almost in every yard there were lactating women.
To date, the situation is completely different. In the market there are quite a lot of mixtures for newborns , which are closely approximated to mother's milk and the urgent need for nurses in a modern society does not test.
Nurse for the child
And yet recently there is a new fashion for a wet nurse for a child. Sometimes the wet nurse thinks that those parents, where the mother herself can not feed the child for any reason, think. Sometimes the need for a nursing nurse arises if the mother cares primarily about the beauty of her breast. It happens that the mother is not near the baby, and breastfeeding is a good way for the baby not to lose the best kind of food for him.
Let's consider the pros and cons of such a form of feeding the baby.
Pros of donor milk:
- Of course, only breast milk can be compared with mother's milk. No mixture, even the most modern, can not accurately convey the composition of breast milk . This milk is saturated with antibodies and enzymes, and also contains vitamins and microelements, which are better absorbed by the child's body.
- A child who receives a woman's milk acquires antibodies that protect him from many infections, including intestinal infections, which can not be said about breastfeeds.
- Children, nourished by mother or donor milk, are not averse to such diseases as atherosclerosis and obesity.
- The gastrointestinal tract of the baby is ideal for breast milk.
- Donor milk is stored much longer than any mixture. About 8 hours at room temperature, up to five days in the refrigerator, and about three months in the freezer.
- To date, donor milk is cheaper than milk formula. We are not talking about the services of a wet nurse for a child who spends most of the day with the child.
Cons of donor milk:
- High probability of allergy. You can not control the menu of your wet nurse. Perhaps her child is less susceptible to allergens than yours.
- The risk of infection with hepatitis B or HIV infection through breast milk.
- Basically, a child drinks milk from a bottle, and accordingly, he is deprived of this close relationship with his mother, which occurs between the child and his mother, at the moment of putting the child to the mother's breast.
- Donor milk must be sterilized, which means that it loses most of its useful properties.
Nursing services
In large cities, it is quite possible to find a breast milk bank. Typically, these banks collect breast milk, check it for infections, pasteurize, and only then offer it as donor breast milk.
If you do not have access to such banks, you can try to find a wet nurse for your child on your own. As a rule, the wet nurse is sought from among the closest associates. It can be a woman with whom you gave birth together, or your friend who feeds her baby.
Make a choice in the direction of donor milk or artificial mixture to the mother herself. If your child needs breast milk, then it's probably worth asking for donor's milk, if you are categorically against someone else's milk, use the mixture.