# "Milk Siblings"



## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

Hi Guys,

I just wanted to put out an interesting bit of info, and to show something beautiful that comes from Iraq (since our media is not much into that these days...)

Two of my closest friends are from a family that originates from the Middle East (Iraq) and our kids were born within months of each other. One of my friends had low milk supply, so when we hung out I would nurse her kid after she ran out and "top her off".

The other friend also had very large nipples and a tiny baby who could not open her mouth very wide. When she was first born, we were trying to figure out if the nipple size was the issue. So, I nursed her baby on my breast and she was still fussy-so we figured it out that it wasn't the size of the nip, just the baby.

In Middle Easern culture, our children cannot marry when they grow up because they are now considered "Milk Siblings".
















Isn't that beautiful?!!! Nobody was "unethical" for introducing another milk source, etc. and experimenting outside of Mama... and the idea of crossing cultures through nursing the children who are our future is beautiful to me.


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## Undercover Hippie (Sep 7, 2004)

I love that!







Then my DD has a milk sibling too. How wonderful.


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

Yay! I'd love to see a show of hands as to how many people out there have milk siblings or milk siblings for their kids, etc...









Ahh... World Peace through Breasts!


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## ldsapmom (Apr 8, 2002)

This is stated very cleary within the Muslim religion -- Muslimah mamas here could probably shed more light on it. There are also specifics about a child (son) not being able to marry his milk mother. There are all kinds of specifics related to even the most obscure possibility of who can marry whom







.

My children have about 5 milk siblings, but most are cousins (and boys at that







), although there are a couple of girls who are not related. I have nursed a few of my nephews; I have nursed my best friend's daughters; my best friend has nursed one or two of my nephews, and also another good friend's daughter. We have sat before and figured out who can't marry whom. It's a fun thing to think about.


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

Great! Keep it coming mamas, Muslim and non-Muslim alike! I am curious...


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## annakiss (Apr 4, 2003)

Moved to Breastfeeding...


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

Awww, my best friend's dd weaned just a few months before I concieved. But I'm willing to nurse any baby at any time, as long as my babe gets what he needs. Maybe my babe will have a milk sibling someday.


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## EmmalinesMom (Feb 9, 2003)

Aww, I love that!









My babies have milk siblings too!







:


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## westernmamomma (Aug 25, 2005)

Mu ds has a milk sister, who bites! Ouch! Ds is 6 mos and his "sis" is 12 mos and introduced me that what it's like to have a toddler with teeth! But it's so great being able to calm a fussy child regardless of whether they are yours are not!


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## Lisiblac (Jun 3, 2005)

This was common in European culture until the nineteenth century also. Charlemagne's highest court councillor and most trusted confidant was his milk brother (his wet nurse's son,) for example.


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## PortraitPixie (Apr 21, 2005)

Noah almost got his first milk sibling today....I was watching his best friend/same age/neighbor and he was missing his mamma soo much...







he asked me for milk (signed it







) and I wanted to but wasn't sur if his mamma would approve...I should talk to her about that andsee if she would be comfortable with it...


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## katarn (Apr 23, 2005)

i was watching my best friend's kids 4yo and 16mo. old. they were staying at our house overnight so we had to put them to bed.
I ended up nursing the 16 mo. old and then later i didn't have enough for my 5 mo. old..







He didn't nurse very long but i guess they get really good by that age. His daddy calls him a power nurser...

The next day my best friend came over and my babe was sleeping and we had to leave for a couple hours.. so she stayed and ended up nursing my babe back to sleep when he woke up.

quid pro qro


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## LeosMama (Sep 6, 2005)

My son has a few, let me count:

Max, Spencer, Will, Sammy, Collen

I don't think it's strange at all. I wouldn't nurse a baby from a mama I didn't know/trust or let my baby nurse on such a woman. But these mamas were all my friends and were clean, safe people. It was fun to swap and to comfort other babies when needed.


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

Great, Mamas!

I agree and it is also my "policy" that I have to have permission from the Mama before I nurse her child under any circumstances. Also, I only reserve that sacred thing for extremely close "sistas"...

I am so happy this discussion got going!





































PS How could you make a milk siblings icon? haha


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## MamaTaraX (Oct 5, 2004)

I have nursed other peoples' babies and other people have nursed mine. I love calling them milk siblings. I may have to sit out the "can't marry 'em" part though, just in case they grow up and fall in love despite their milk-siblinghood









Namaste, Tara
mama to Doodle (7), Butterfly (2), and Rythm (due at home 1/06)


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## RoadWorkAhead (Sep 8, 2005)

Not only does my DS have 2 milk siblings (so far) but I've got milk siblings myself. My mom nursed 2 of my cousins while I was a nurslings. My bro also has a milk sibling from when mom was a wet nurse baby sitter. I love wet nursing...nice to sometimes get a soft little baby when you've got a big boy with teeth chewing on you!!!


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## CrabbyMomma (Apr 21, 2005)

This is soo very intersting to me. I know that in the area of which I live, I could never nurse another woman's baby, that would be ludacris in most eyes. I think it is a great thing to do, and wish I had the opportunity to help out. I do have a question, how do you Momma's that nurse other children ask the child's mother if it is o.k.?


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

CrabbyMomma,

I have only (and would only, I think) nurse a child that is the child of a close friend or relative. Actually, it just came about organically and I didn't think about it or know what felt right until I was in that moment, ya know?

I am so glad you all are getting it out there that milk siblings are a lot more common in this country then the mainstream suspects!!!


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## mommy2julia (Mar 15, 2005)

my 2 year old nephew has drank my Breast Milk out of my daughters bottles (when etither my siter or mother would watch her) He has never nursed from me, and I'm not sure how I would feel if my sister nursed Julia.. I'm not sure how I feel.. I'm sure I wouldnt be mad, but I guess in this cultrue that I was raised it is a bit odd. I think its neat in the same respect...

But a quick question..
If offered do most babies just latch on to anyones breast? Isnt there a certain amount of trust (from the babies point of view) Sorry if I'm being iggnorant, I'm just trying to understnad better!!!!


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## westernmamomma (Aug 25, 2005)

I didn't have any trouble with my friend's dd latching on, and we hadn't known each other for an extremely long time (great friendship developed between us quickly). She did however reject the breast of another mom friend of ours and we figure it's because of the difference in breast size. Her mom and & are similar in size, the other friend is smaller than us.

It is nice that I have someone who ds will nurse from bc he won't take a bottle, so I get the occasional longer time out without him if he's with her! Always a bonus.


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## sarahloughmiller (May 22, 2004)

I have never nursed anyone elses baby, but a friend of mine tried to nurse ds once and he would not go for it. She did pump bottles and give them to me when I was having a hard time keeping up puming enough for the 2 days I worked. When my sil has her baby I may end up nursing it occasionally as I will take care of it while she is at work. I have not talked to her about it, but would think she would rather me nurse the baby than give it formula if I run out of her milk.

I have several milk siblings. My dad had lukemia when I was a baby and my mom always left me at someones house that nursed while she was at the hospital. For probably 6 months or so I was nursed a lot by other people and they always bring it up when I see them now


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

I love hearing these stories. It is a noce counterpoint to a medicalized, sterilized birthing and baby world seen in the media these days.


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## [email protected] (May 31, 2004)

On my side of the world and in my community, shared nursing and cross-nursing are ways of life in spite of the increased propaganda about viruses and diseases, etc. Of course, it is usually done in cases where the mothers know each other well, in close family relationships or friends. My children too have three milk siblings and at least two other women have nursed them in turn. It is fascinating to learn that so many other mamas elsewhere are also shared / cross-nursers. Wish we could form a club.
Uzra


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## ilikethedesert (Feb 4, 2004)

Beautiful!








HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wishes for an enlightening 2006 for you and your family.


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## beansavi (Jun 26, 2005)

Happy New Year to you all, too!


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## SLA (Mar 14, 2008)

i would love a cross feeding community in my area. its nice to know if you wanted a date with your husband and your child started crying they could have have breast milk. if anyone knows of such in the maryland area then please let me know. i of course think it would be important to have testing done to ensure no one was sick with disease they did not know about.


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## Rothmom (Mar 18, 2008)

I know I have a milk sibling. My mom had me and than her best friend had a baby 5 months later. I've heard lots of stories about how they both brestfed both of us.
Does it count as a milk sibling if the baby just drank your breastmilk from a bottle? If it does than my son has a milk sibling too. An aquaintance of mine came over to borrow formula for her 5 month old when my little guy was a month old, but I didn't have any in the house. I offered her some frozen breatmilk that I'd pumped. She said she'd rather have that anyway.


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## nerdymom (Mar 20, 2008)

What an oldie, but a goodie thread! I love hearing these stories. My DH is milk brother to his cousin. MIL did not produce milk, but her sister did, so DH got formula at home and breastmilk from his aunt.


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## randomacts (Jun 26, 2008)

My DS has a milk sister. I never actually nursed her, but I pumped for her, up until this week when her mama decided to switch to formula, under threat from her pedi.









Poor baby!


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## rightkindofme (Apr 14, 2008)

I haven't done this... yet.







A friend is trying to get pregnant and if she doesn't manage to overcome fertility issues she plans to adopt. Either way she has told me that she would love it if we shared breastfeeding. She told me that especially if she adopts a child she would really appreciate me sharing milk with her child so the child can have every advantage possible. I feel loved.


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## azariahsmom (Aug 12, 2008)

That's really sweet!


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## calpurnia (Sep 26, 2004)

bump

My friend & I just swapped babies, to see if they would. They did! So now we can stand in for each other for longer periods of time, without worrying about bottles, pumps etc.

The weird thing was that it wasn't weird at all.








:


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## peachymomma (Jun 25, 2003)

I have a milk sibling. And as far as I can remember my children have three milk siblings







There could be more in the future!


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## La Rune (Sep 19, 2008)

Cool! I wonder if BM bottles "count", too ... anybody know?

If so my DD has a milk brother! I've been pumping for a friend.


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## Twinklefae (Dec 13, 2006)

My DS is "milk brothers" with my bff's little guy then! I've nursed him a couple of times, and she's tried to nurse DS, although he's never taken it. (She's pumped for him though...







)


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## Ammaarah (May 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *La Rune* 
Cool! I wonder if BM bottles "count", too ... anybody know?

If so my DD has a milk brother! I've been pumping for a friend.

They count!







:


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## accountclosed2 (May 28, 2007)

DD has three milk sisters. I've had problems with low supply, so three of my friends provided expressed breast milk to DD (one of them didn't pump, she just collected a cup-full of leaked milk with each feed!!!). A friend of mine (and one of the milk mamas too), who is a LLL leader told us our daughters were milk sisters, and I love it!


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## bmcneal (Nov 12, 2006)

My DD has a milk sister.







: She nursed her DD, and I was having trouble nursing, so we decided to see if it was me or DD having problems. She took DD and tried to nurse her, and DD nursed, so that meant the problem was with me.







Anyway, on a happier note, DD has a milk sister!







:


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