I've been reading The Land of Painted Caves, the newest in Jean M. Auel's Earth's Children series. One of the things I love about these books is the authentic portrayal of childbirth, breastfeeding, and child rearing in a tribal culture.
The women in the story nurse each other's babies. This is something modern culture is squeamish about. Why? Possibly because we don't feel that close and intimate with the women in our neighborhoods, our social circles, maybe not even in our own families.
There have been many occasions when I would have appreciated the availability of a trusted friend to care for and feed my nursling. Instead I struggled to accomplish a task with baby in tow. How nice it would be for my babies to have that intimate nursing relationship with numerous close friends.
When my first daughter was a nursing toddler, I ran an in-home daycare. One of the other babies would beg "peas peas" whenever I would nurse my daughter. It broke my heart to say no even though it would have felt perfectly natural to nurse that baby.
I've heard whispers of friends who nurse each other's babies.
I've heard about the growing comeback of informal milk sharing.
Human milk banks are an important resource, but they're expensive and the milk is pasteurized destroying many of its nourishing, protective, and healing qualities.
Milk Sharing Resources:
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