Return Of The " Wet Nurse " !

In the early days of Australia childbirth killed many women.   Those were the days of big families and medical knowledge was extremely limited.    The attendance of a doctor was rare and the birthing process was generally in the hands of " midwives ".

It was not unusual for a woman giving birth to find that she was unable to generate sufficient breast milk to satisfy her baby.    The solution to that problem was to find another young mother with an adequate supply of breast milk and make an arrangement for  her to serve as a " wet nurse " !

This  " wet nurse " vocation was widespread and some higher income households engaged a local girl as a matter of course to allow the mistress to quickly regain her figure and engage in the social scene. It was a honourable arrangement and usually involved some form of compensation which was very welcome in those early days.

It seems that the concept of the " wet nurse " has reemerged in this twenty-first century.  Many women are deeply convinced that rearing a child on " formulae " is inferior to the natural nourishment of breast milk, but breast feeding is now becoming a barrier to women who wish to also have a business career.   Even those who take a long maternity leave sometimes find that their production of breast milk is inadequate.

Somewhere along the way a conduit has formed where women with a breast milk surplus are expressing this and supplying a ready market suffering a breast milk shortage.   It seems to be totally unofficial with the word spread on social media and the hookup between receiver and supplier being arranged between friends.

The medical people have issued a warning.  There is a definite risk that blood borne viruses may be transmitted to baby's who have no natural defences in that pre vaccination period of their lives.   There is also the issue of safety storage.   In some cases private arrangements mean that unpasteurised frozen breastmilk is passing between donor and user without any form of control.

Obviously, this very bright idea is in its early stage.   In many cases, the exchange is between women who are known to each other, but it certainly has the potential to gain a life of its own and become an underground industry if it falls into the hands of " fanatics " who refuse to accept that dangers exist.

The risk factor will increase exponentially if an underground  network supplying breast milk as a commodity establishes as a means of compensating donors for supplying what is otherwise an impossible to obtain product.    It could end up like the situation with blood donations in the United States.   The down and out can generate a few dollars by donating their own blood because that is a sought item.

The last thing we need is drug affected women selling their breast milk for a profit to feed their drug addiction.   It all depends if a screening process is possible so that legitimate breast milk donations can be cleared of risk and deliver a known safety factor.

It seems that a very old idea is getting fresh attention because it is the answer to a need.  Whether it develops along legal and legitimate lines may depend on whether adequate screening is possible - and if the method of collection and supply follows commercial practice.