Wet nursing in fairy tales

I've been reading Old French Fairy Tales by the Comtesse Sophie Segur to Zari. I love the Art Nouveau illustrations. The stories are so-so. The beautiful and annoyingly good princess always marries the handsome prince (usually named Charmant or Gracious) and the evil mother/father/sisters suffer a terrible fate. Obedience, goodness, and kindness are highly prized.

But what caught my eye was a little snippet about wet nursing. You may recall that France has historically embraced wet nursing, so it's not surprising that the practice made its way into fairy tales written almost 200 years ago.

From "The Princess Rosette":

There was once a king and queen, who had three daughters. The two eldest were twins--Orangine and Roussette--and their parents loved them very dearly. They were beautiful and intelligent, bu they were not very good. In this they resembled the king and queen. The third princess was called Rosette and was three years younger than her sisters. She was as amiable as she was handsome, as good as she was beautiful....

Some days after the birth of Rosette, the king and queen sent her to the country, on a farm, to be nursed. Rosette lived happily there for fifteen years without her parents coming once to see her. Every year they sent a small sum of money to the farmer to pay Rosette's expenses and asked some questions as to her health, but they never came to see her nor disturbed themselves about her education. 

Rosette eventually returns home to her kingdom, where she outshines her two sisters and gains the favors of prince Charmant. The rest of her family members grow increasingly jealous and finally scheme to kill her by various evils means. However, Rosette's fairy godmother leads Rosette and Charmant to safety. Rosette's family suffers terrible punishments. Voila. Nice clean ending.

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Birth Around the World: New Global Breast Milk Sharing Network

Emma Kwasnica, a mother of three and midwife in training in Canada, recently started a worldwide breastmilk sharing network. I met Emma at last year's International Breech Conference in Ottawa. The Times Colonist recently reported on her efforts in Quebec program matches breast milk donors with recipients. Below is a press release about her efforts. (Version française plus bas.)

World's Largest Breast Milk Sharing Network 

Spreads Across Facebook: 

"Eats On Feets" Goes Global

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :

CONTACT :
Emma Kwasnica
Eats On Feets GLOBAL
(514) 656 1560
Montreal, CANADA
http://www.facebook.com/emma.kwasnica
emma.kwasnica@gmail.com

Within a matter of days, women around the world have mobilized on the social networking site Facebook to organize an international, woman-to-woman milk sharing network. Human milk is for human babies, and formula-feeding is associated with risks to both the mother and infant. Women today are aware of this fact and are taking their life-sustaining power back into their own hands --they are now converging on Facebook to freely share their breastmilk with one another.

Montreal, Canada, November 7, 2010 - The announcement last month from internet health guru, Dr. Joseph Mercola, of his plans to launch his own brand of powdered infant formula onto the US market, has spawned the Eats On Feets GLOBAL breastmilk sharing network. In retaliation against yet another needless and harmful artificial breastmilk substitute to hit the market, mothers on Facebook from around the world have come together to take a stand for infant health. They have now established the world's largest human milk sharing network, an initiative spearheaded by Canadian lactating mother and passionate breastfeeding activist, Emma Kwasnica.

The "Eats On Feets" name is the brainchild of Phoenix, AZ midwife, Shell Walker. A mother to young children in the '90s, Walker and her friends had this thought: "Hey, why don't we just become wet-nurses? Instead of 'Meals on Wheels', we can call our business 'Eats On Feets'." Walker took this idea and made it a reality in July, 2010, when she created a Facebook profile page under the same name, and began a free, community-based breastmilk sharing network for mothers in Phoenix. She has since been successful at matching up local women who have an excess, or are in need of, human breastmilk.

Meanwhile, Kwasnica has also been using her personal profile page and her large network of international birth and breastfeeding activists on Facebook, in order to match up human milk donors and recipients around the world. One such story involves a fellow Canadian friend, living in Bandung, Indonesia; the school teacher and single father to a newborn son wondered if he could source human milk for his baby instead of feeding his son a powdered breastmilk substitute. Aware of his situation, Kwasnica put the call out to her vast network via a simple status update on Facebook, and a breastfeeding peer counselor in a neighbouring city in Indonesia responded. A string of lactating women on the ground was assembled to provide human milk locally for the infant boy. Now three months old, this baby has never tasted anything other than human milk.

The announcement of Dr. Mercola's plans to market formula was the final catalyst that spurred Emma Kwasnica on to convene with Shell Walker and launch Eats On Feets GLOBAL. Regarding the inception of this initiative, she states: "Shell Walker is a friend and the midwife in Phoenix, AZ who came up with the name 'Eats On Feets'. She graciously allowed me to use her catchy name in order to launch the global initiative: a woman-to-woman, grassroots milk sharing network here on Facebook. As for Dr. Mercola, he should be injecting his burgeoning wealth into breastfeeding support, not trying to make more money off a product that is harmful to infants and their lifelong health."

With the help of nearly 200 women online from the global mothering Facebook community, the initiative has taken off. Donor and recipient milk matches are being made right now all over the world on the pages of Facebook. There are now 87 Eats On Feets chapter pages spanning 18 countries (a quick Facebook search for "Eats On Feets" yields dozens of results). This movement is proof that Facebook can, indeed, be used for the good of humanity. By encouraging the biologically normal way of feeding babies, and reviving an age-old practice of human milk sharing, it is clear that social networking has the power to revolutionize infant health.

ABOUT Eats On Feets GLOBAL - The Eats On Feets GLOBAL network chapter pages on Facebook provide an online space to facilitate woman-to-woman milk sharing. We assert that women are capable of making informed choices and of sharing human milk with one another in a safe and ethical manner. Eats On Feets GLOBAL does NOT support the selling or corporatism of human breastmilk.

For a current list of all of the Eats On Feets chapter locations in operation around the globe, or to find your local Eats On Feets Facebook chapter page, please see this document at the following URL: http://tinyurl.com/EatsOnFeetsGLOBAL

To listen to the radio show podcast (from October 30) where Emma Kwasnica discusses the events that lead to the launch of Eats On Feets GLOBAL, and how the ethics of Dr. Mercola were the catalyst for this initiative, visit: http://kopn.org/archive and click on "Momma Rap".

~~~~~

Le plus grand réseau mondial de partage de lait maternel 

se propage via Facebook: 

"Eats On Feets" devient Global

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE:

CONTACT:

Emma Kwasnica
Eats On Feets GLOBAL
(514) 656 1560
Montréal, CANADA
http://www.facebook.com/emma.kwasnica
emma.kwasnica@gmail.com

Depuis quelques jours, les femmes du monde entier se sont mobilisées sur le site du réseau social Facebook pour organiser un réseau international de partage de lait maternel, de femme à femme. Le lait humain est pour les bébés humains, et nourrir au lait infantile est associé à des risques pour la mère et le nourrisson. Aujourd'hui les femmes sont conscientes de ce fait et reprennent à nouveau dans leurs propres mains leur pouvoir de survie - elles se retrouvent maintenant via Facebook pour partager librement leur lait avec d'autres.

Montréal, Canada, le 7 novembre, 2010 - L'annonce du mois dernier faite sur Internet par le "gourou" de la santé, le docteur Joseph Mercola, de son intention de lancer sa propre marque de lait en poudre pour bébés sur le marché américain, a engendré la création du réseau de partage de lait maternel "Eats On Feets GLOBAL". En réaction contre cet énième substitut artificiel de lait infantile inutile et néfaste à venir attaquer le marché, des mères du monde entier se sont réunies sur Facebook pour défendre la santé des nourrissons. Elles ont maintenant mis en place le plus grand réseau mondial de partage de lait maternel, une initiative dirigée par la Canadienne, mère allaitante et militante passionnée pour l'allaitement maternel, Emma Kwasnica.

Le nom de "Eats On Feets" est une idée originale de la sage-femme, Shell Walker, de Phoenix, Arizona. Alors qu'elle était mère de jeunes enfants dans les années 90, Shell Walker et ses amies ont discuté : "Et pourquoi ne pas simplement devenir nourrices? Au lieu de « Meals On Wheels » (traduit "la popotte roulante", c'est le nom d'un service de repas apportés à domicile pour les personnes âgées en Amérique du nord), nous pourrions appeler notre entreprise « Eats On Feets»”. Shell Walker a eu cette idée et en a fait une réalité en juillet 2010, quand elle a créé une page de profil Facebook sous le même nom, et a commencé un réseau communautaire et gratuit de partage du lait maternel pour les mères de Phoenix. Depuis, elle a réussi à apparier localement des femmes qui ont un excès, ou qui ont un besoin, de lait maternel.

Pendant ce temps, Emma Kwasnica a également utilisé sa page de profil personnel et son vaste réseau international de militantes pour la naissance et l'allaitement sur Facebook, afin de faire correspondre des donateurs et des bénéficiaires de lait maternel dans le monde entier. Une de ces histoires concerne un de ses amis, un compatriote canadien vivant à Bandung, en Indonésie; instituteur et se retrouvant père célibataire d'un tout jeune nouveau-né, il s'est demandé s'il pourrait trouver du lait d'origine humaine pour son bébé au lieu de nourrir son fils avec un substitut artificiel en poudre. Informée de sa situation, Emma Kwasnica fit appel à son vaste réseau à travers une simple mise à jour de son statut sur Facebook, et l'une de ses pairs, conseillère en allaitement maternel dans une ville voisine en Indonésie a répondu. Sur le terrain, une chaîne de femmes allaitantes a été mise en place pour fournir du lait humain au niveau local pour le petit garçon. Maintenant âgé de trois mois, ce bébé n'a jamais goûté à autre chose que le lait humain.

L'annonce des projets du Dr. Mercola au sujet du marché des laits artificiels a été le catalyseur final qui a incité Emma Kwasnica à se réunir avec Shell Walker pour lancer "Eats On Feets GLOBAL". En ce qui concerne la création de cette initiative, elle déclare: "Shell Walker est une amie qui est sage-femme à Phoenix, en Arizona. Elle a inventé le concept et le nom de "Eats On Feets". Elle m'a gracieusement autorisée à utiliser ce nom accrocheur pour lancer cette initiative au niveau mondial : un réseau de partage de lait maternel de femme à femme, ici, sur Facebook. Quant au Dr Mercola, il devrait attribuer sa fortune naissante au soutien à l'allaitement, et ne pas chercher à faire plus d'argent avec un produit qui est nocif pour les nourrissons et leur santé à long terme."

Avec l'aide de près de 200 femmes en ligne de la communauté mondiale de Facebook sur le maternage, l'initiative a pris son envol. Des rencontres entre donateurs et bénéficiaires de lait maternel sont en cours actuellement dans le monde entier sur les pages de Facebook. Il y a maintenant 87 pages de "Eats On Feets" de chapitres dans 18 pays (une recherche rapide de "Eats On Feets" sur Facebook donne des dizaines de résultats). Ce mouvement est la preuve que Facebook peut, en effet, être utilisé pour le bien de l'humanité. En encourageant la façon normale et physiologique de nourrir les bébés, et la relance d'une pratique séculaire de partage de lait maternel, il est clair que le réseau social a le pouvoir de révolutionner la santé infantile.

A PROPOS DE "Eats On Feets GLOBAL" - sur Facebook, le réseau des Chapitres "Eats On Feets" offre un espace en ligne pour faciliter le partage du lait d'une maman à un bébé d'une autre maman. Nous affirmons que les femmes, que les familles, sont capables de faire des choix éclairés et de partager du lait maternel de manière sécuritaire et éthique. "Eats On Feets GLOBAL" ne soutient pas la vente ou le corporatisme de lait maternel.

Consultez la liste à jour de tous les Chapitres "Eats On Feets" mis en place dans le monde entier, ou trouvez la page de votre Chapitre "Eats On Feets" local, via le document à l'adresse suivante: http://tinyurl.com/EatsOnFeetsGLOBAL

Pour écouter le podcast de l'émission de radio (du 30 octobre), où Emma Kwasnica discute des événements qui ont abouti au lancement mondial de "Eats On Feets", et comment l'éthique de Dr. Mercola a été le catalyseur de cette initiative, visitez le site: http://kopn.org, dans la section "archives" et cliquez sur "Momma Rap".

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Nursing Moses

Charles Moses Martin Goodrich began his life as a motherless baby. His mother died of an amniotic fluid embolism (a very rare and very fatal obstetrical complication) less than12 hours after she gave birth. What happened next was nothing short of miraculous. Over 20 women in the community of Marquette, Michigan arranged to nurse baby Moses round-the-clock.

The more than two dozen other women who've nursed Moses know they cannot replace what was lost hours after he was born. But the father they've reached out to help says they've given his son something he could have never provided on his own. He's a healthy, happy, well-adjusted boy," he said, "who has always known a mother's love."

Read the rest of the story here.

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Book review: The Wet Nurse's Tale

Yesterday I read a book from cover to cover: The Wet Nurse's Tale, by Erica Eisdorfer. I meant to save it for this morning's work-out session at the gym, but the book was so much fun that it didn't even last a day. It's the story of a young English girl, Sarah Rose, and her adventures as a wet nurse. Sarah is plain but plucky, a plump heroine-of-size who always has a witty retort. There's sex (not too surprising, since nursing involves babies, and babies involve you-know-what), drama, and adventure aplenty. There's a dramatic conclusion where her father sells her son and she must rescue him from a rich woman who is slowly going mad. Lots of little details about day-to-day life in Victorian England make it all the more interesting to read. And, of course, there are lots of babies and lots of breastfeeding.

There are two narratives interwoven in the book. Sarah's is the dominant one, narrated in first-person, as if she were sitting in the room and telling you the tale of her remarkable life. The other story line is of Sarah's mother, who also was a wet nurse for as long as Sarah can remember. This second story is told through short narratives of the women who chose Sarah's mother to nurse their babies.

Give it a read--I'm sure you'll love it!

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Documentary on wet nursing

Please forward this information to anyone who might be interested in participating:

Ever thought of hiring a wet nurse?

Channel 4 is making a documentary called Wet Nurse. It's a fascinating subject and we aim to make an informative, compassionate and fair documentary exploring the need of a wet nurse in today’s modern society.

Wet nursing is back in fashion and this is because of health scares about formula milk, increase in plastic surgery and women making a lifestyle choice: they don’t want to breastfeed nor want to use formula milk. This added with gay couples – especially since the law changed allowing them to adopt – could a wet nurse make a comeback? I’m particularly keen to speak to women who want to hire or are currently using a wet nurse or women who are cross feeding for this documentary. We want to know as much as possible about this complicated issue so get in touch and tell us your thoughts!

You can email anna.edwinson@granadamedia.com or call directly on 0044 - 20 7261 3375.

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What are you doing?

We've had several discussions recently about breastfeeding and formula. A commenter left these remarks a few days ago, in response to "Bottle Feeding":

When I had the twins however, no matter my effort and determination I just didn't have enough milk! I persisted and persisted until I finally brokedown emotionally because of the incredible guilt I felt as you are always told 'breast is best'. One of the twins was not gaining weight so I ended up bottle feeding them and they are both really chubby, healthy, happy and bright. I felt so angry that the pressure to breastfeed caused me to go through so much emotional pain and guilt.

This got me to thinking--we have a big problem for moms who desire to feed their children breast milk but cannot for whatever reasons. They generally have no alternatives but to formula feed.

Breast milk should be freely available to any mother who needs it. After all, formula is not the next-best alternative to nursing your baby. It is last on a list of four options, from best to worst:
1. Direct breastfeeding
2. Expressed breast milk from the baby's mother
3. Expressed breast milk from a donor
4. Formula

As many of my readers know, I am pumping milk for a mom who is going to adopt a baby. Before I found her, I looked into donating via Milk Share.

You could give your milk, or money, to milk sharing organizations. You could donate to a milk bank (for-profit or non-profit). You could write to formula companies asking them not to advertise their products, as they had agreed to do in the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. You could write to your local hospital and request that they establish a milk bank so that every new mother has access to human milk. You could write to your insurance company requesting that they cover breast milk from milk banks. You could pump milk, or offer to cross-nurse, for a friend who is struggling with her milk supply.

So my question is: what are YOU doing to remedy this situation?

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Cross-nursing

I just came across a few interesting articles about cross-nursing (nursing other people's babies): "Breast Friends" and a response to the article: "She Breastfed My Son." I also found this British article called "Not Your Mother's Milk."

I've never thought it was weird, but I guess some people really freak out at the idea. My little sis in fact has a good friend due around the same time, and they've talked about nursing each others' babies if the need arises. For example, if they are watching each others' kids and the other baby becomes hungry, they will simply nurse the baby!

It's something I wouldn't do with a stranger or casual acquaintance, for health reasons. But with close friends or siblings, I wouldn't even blink if they asked me to. In fact I would be honored.

Donating breastmilk is similar, but since it's not given directly from the source, people don't have as much of the "yuck" reaction.

Would you do this for a friend or sibling? Would you mind if your friend nursed your own baby?

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