I Was Breastfeeding My Friends Son for 1 Year

Breastfeeding my friend’s son. Yes, I did.

Why you might ask.

Well, at least once in your life, you all have seen a documentary about animals.

Of course, you have.

I used to watch such films quite a few times.

I especially loved to turn on the TV at night after work and watch those documentaries.

But what do documentaries about animals have to do with this title?

Stay tuned.

Woman Preparing for Motherhood

I am a proud woman, wife, and mother of a happy and healthy son who brought joy, desire for a better life, and strength to my life.

In every way, having a child is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Of course, before giving birth, I researched things that every mother-to-be should know, such as bathing the baby, changing clothes, doing abdominal exercises, and the like.

You need to know everything and be prepared.

Parenting is not that easy.

Trust me.

You want to be the best mom your baby can get.

Unfortunately, you can’t and have no time to absorb every little thing.

I’ve spent nights doing my little research and writing everything down.

Among all those essential things, the topic that interested me the most was breastfeeding.

Why Was I Most Interested in Breastfeeding?

I know breastfeeding should be natural and normal, but sometimes, unfortunately, it can be challenging.

It was challenging in several aspects for her.

My breastfeeding journey was relatively easy, unlike other women I read about and their problems.

All these women have thought at least once in their lives: “Come on, it will be easy, you put the child on your breast, and it goes by itself!”.

I wish it were that easy.

It doesn’t happen that way every time.

Namely, there are many things to watch out for: putting a child at the breast, from the child’s position to the grip of the nipple, and to feeding time.

Some women have problems with lactation. Either the body does not produce enough milk for health reasons, or even the shape of the nipple itself is not suitable for grasping.

These were all things that I had to research and learn by myself.

Now, I will continue with the fact that my breastfeeding journey was easy.

From the first moment they put my son on my breast, he immediately accepted the nipple and started pulling.

The happiness which enveloped me was indescribable, especially after knowing all the difficulties I might’ve encountered.

One of the women who were not as lucky as I was, is my best friend.

More precisely, it is not that she was unlucky. Due to a combination of life circumstances, she could not pump milk or breastfeed her son.

That’s when I got an idea.

How Did I Get the Idea of Breastfeeding my Friend’s Son?

It’s time to go back to that introductory part where I talked about documentaries concerning animals.

So often, I noticed how mother animals pay special attention to the cubs of other mothers.

Especially if their mother dies, with warmth and no reservations, they accept those cubs as if they were their own and let them suckle the milk their children also suckle. So selfless.

Then I thought to myself, why aren’t we humans like that?

Why not use this liquid gold we have been given and help others?

My best friend had to start working very early after giving birth, and I offered to babysit her son.

I was also a stay-at-home mom, and I had a three-month-old son. Hers was five months, and I thought, why not?

My friend breastfed her son successfully for those five months but couldn’t pump milk when she started working.

Of course, she thought of baby formula. She tried many of them, but each caused problems for her son.

I started my research (yes, I love good research!) about the pros and cons of wet nursing.

I’ve read that WHO says wet nursing is one of the best alternatives to breastfeeding your own child.

So I came up with the idea of ​​offering to breastfeed her son while I looked after him.

If the She-Wolf Could Nurse Romulus and Remus, Why Couldn’t I Nurse my Friend’s Son?

I proposed the idea to her.

I didn’t know how she would react.

She reacted in the best possible way.

She was delighted with the idea.

Because she knows how good mother’s milk is for the baby.

Thus began my tandem breastfeeding journey.

In the beginning, I encountered more condemnation than approval.

But that didn’t stop me from persevering in my plan.

I nursed that boy and my child for a whole year while I looked after him until his mother picked him up after work.

The child progressed just fine, and we both knew we were doing the right thing.

People now tend to ask me if I would do that again.

I tell them: “In a heartbeat.”