Wet-nursing makes a comeback in Hollywood

http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentw...-03-15/525.asp
Wet-nursing makes a comeback in Hollywood
By Martin Patience

The Web site for Certified Household Staffing appears like a throwback to
Victorian times, when the moneyed classes hired teams of servants. The site
sports images of butlers with bow ties, nannies in black and white uniforms
and gamekeepers dressed in tweeds. But the agency offers another service
associated with times long past: wet nurses.

Robert Feinstock, 65, the owner of the Beverly Hills, Calif., company,
believes his business is one of the few in the United States that offers wet
nurses, or women who suckle other peoples' children. He says he provides a
needed service to mothers who want their children to thrive on breast milk
but for whatever reason are unable to perform the task themselves.

"The mother recognizes the need for her baby to experience the close bond
that arises when a baby suckles on a woman's breast," he says.

Feinstock says the majority of his clients are women who have undergone
cosmetic breast augmentation, which impairs their ability to breast-feed.
According to the Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit organization based in
Washington, women with breast implants are three times more likely to have
inadequate milk supply when trying to breast-feed.

Breast milk is widely believed to bolster the immune system and reduce the
incidence of illnesses like meningitis, pneumonia and leukemia. Some breast
milk proponents believe that breast-fed children are happier and more
intelligent than bottle-fed babies.

Child experts, however, have warned that using a wet nurse can lead to
infection and psychological damage.

"I wouldn't encourage breast-feeding by a surrogate mother," says Dr. Ruth
Lawrence, director of the Breastfeeding and Human Lactation Study Center at
the University of Rochester in upstate New York. Lawrence says wet-nursed
babies risk contracting tuberculosis, HIV or Hepatitis B.

Babies can also experience emotional trauma if they form a deep emotional
attachment with a wet nurse who suddenly departs, says Alice Sterling Honig,
a professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies at Syracuse
University.

"If the baby's parents are busy professionals, and the only loving
relationship a baby has is with a wet nurse, that baby could suffer major
emotional trauma when the wet nurse leaves," Honig says.

Wet nurses were commonly employed in upper-class households in the United
States and Europe, particularly France, until the late 19th century, when
formula milk was not widely available. After World War I, some American
hospitals still employed wet nurses to suckle sickly babies who could not be
breast-fed by their mothers.

The advent of improved milk formula, however, decreased demand for wet
nurses, says Dr. Janet Golden, a history professor at Rutgers University who
authored the book "A Social History of Wet Nursing in America: From Breast
to Bottle."

Wet-nursing also declined because of the growing social stigma attached to
the profession. Women who wet-nursed often abandoned their own babies to
feed the babies of the wealthy, Golden says.

Historically, most of the women who went into wet-nursing had no other means
of support. "Wet nurses were always seen as troublesome," Golden says. "What
if they say 'I'm leaving.' Then who would the child suckle?"

Feinstock, however, defends his service, saying that all potential wet
nurses are medically screened and that the women, who often live with their
employers, are not exploited. He says some women become wet nurses when they
realize they have an overabundance of breast milk and want to make extra
money. Most women can simultaneously breast-feed two babies, as in the case
of twins.

But Feinstock admits that wet-nursing can be a fickle business, "If a woman
dries up, she's out of business."

He refused to divulge the names of wet nurses or clients, citing
professional confidentiality.

Breast-feeding has become popular again in recent years. In 1970,
breast-feeding hit an all-time low in the United States, with only 24
percent of women with newborns engaging in the practice, according to the
Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories. By 2001, 69.5 percent of
women with newborns were breast-feeding.

But the increase in cosmetic breast surgery means some women are unable to
breast-feed. Women who have implants inserted through the nipple, rather
than under the breast or through the armpit, run a higher risk of being
unable to breast-feed, says Dr. James Wells, a plastic surgeon in Long
Beach, Calif.

While breast implants inserted through the nipple generally cause less
scarring, they can interfere with breast tissue and milk ducts, and thus
impair the ability to produce milk. After the procedure, some women are
unable to breast-feed at all, he said.

Feinstock believes that the number of wet nurses will increase as more women
elect cosmetic breast surgery.

Golden, however, remains unconvinced of a potential employment boom in
wet-nursing, adding, "I don't think wet-nursing is going to create 3 million
jobs lost by the Bush administration."


--
"Whosoever knoweth the power of the dance, dwelleth in God,"
Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi

Golden, however, remains unconvinced of a potential employment boom in
wet-nursing, adding, "I don't think wet-nursing is going to create 3
million
jobs lost by the Bush administration."



This part hit me... lol
Who knows.. there's at least 3 million women in the U.S....

"nina" wrote in message
...

http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentw...-03-15/525.asp
Wet-nursing makes a comeback in Hollywood
By Martin Patience

The Web site for Certified Household Staffing appears like a throwback to
Victorian times, when the moneyed classes hired teams of servants. The
site
sports images of butlers with bow ties, nannies in black and white
uniforms
and gamekeepers dressed in tweeds. But the agency offers another service
associated with times long past: wet nurses.

Robert Feinstock, 65, the owner of the Beverly Hills, Calif., company,
believes his business is one of the few in the United States that offers
wet
nurses, or women who suckle other peoples' children. He says he provides a
needed service to mothers who want their children to thrive on breast milk
but for whatever reason are unable to perform the task themselves.

"The mother recognizes the need for her baby to experience the close bond
that arises when a baby suckles on a woman's breast," he says.

Feinstock says the majority of his clients are women who have undergone
cosmetic breast augmentation, which impairs their ability to breast-feed.
According to the Institute of Medicine, a nonprofit organization based in
Washington, women with breast implants are three times more likely to have
inadequate milk supply when trying to breast-feed.

Breast milk is widely believed to bolster the immune system and reduce the
incidence of illnesses like meningitis, pneumonia and leukemia. Some
breast
milk proponents believe that breast-fed children are happier and more
intelligent than bottle-fed babies.

Child experts, however, have warned that using a wet nurse can lead to
infection and psychological damage.

"I wouldn't encourage breast-feeding by a surrogate mother," says Dr. Ruth
Lawrence, director of the Breastfeeding and Human Lactation Study Center a
t
the University of Rochester in upstate New York. Lawrence says wet-nursed
babies risk contracting tuberculosis, HIV or Hepatitis B.

Babies can also experience emotional trauma if they form a deep emotional
attachment with a wet nurse who suddenly departs, says Alice Sterling
Honig,
a professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies at Syracuse
University.

"If the baby's parents are busy professionals, and the only loving
relationship a baby has is with a wet nurse, that baby could suffer major
emotional trauma when the wet nurse leaves," Honig says.

Wet nurses were commonly employed in upper-class households in the United
States and Europe, particularly France, until the late 19th century, when
formula milk was not widely available. After World War I, some American
hospitals still employed wet nurses to suckle sickly babies who could not
be
breast-fed by their mothers.

The advent of improved milk formula, however, decreased demand for wet
nurses, says Dr. Janet Golden, a history professor at Rutgers University
who
authored the book "A Social History of Wet Nursing in America: From Breast
to Bottle."

Wet-nursing also declined because of the growing social stigma attached to
the profession. Women who wet-nursed often abandoned their own babies to
feed the babies of the wealthy, Golden says.

Historically, most of the women who went into wet-nursing had no other
means
of support. "Wet nurses were always seen as troublesome," Golden says.
"What
if they say 'I'm leaving.' Then who would the child suckle?"

Feinstock, however, defends his service, saying that all potential wet
nurses are medically screened and that the women, who often live with
their
employers, are not exploited. He says some women become wet nurses when
they
realize they have an overabundance of breast milk and want to make extra
money. Most women can simultaneously breast-feed two babies, as in the
case
of twins.

But Feinstock admits that wet-nursing can be a fickle business, "If a
woman
dries up, she's out of business."

He refused to divulge the names of wet nurses or clients, citing
professional confidentiality.

Breast-feeding has become popular again in recent years. In 1970,
breast-feeding hit an all-time low in the United States, with only 24
percent of women with newborns engaging in the practice, according to the
Ross Products Division of Abbott Laboratories. By 2001, 69.5 percent of
women with newborns were breast-feeding.

But the increase in cosmetic breast surgery means some women are unable to
breast-feed. Women who have implants inserted through the nipple, rather
than under the breast or through the armpit, run a higher risk of being
unable to breast-feed, says Dr. James Wells, a plastic surgeon in Long
Beach, Calif.

While breast implants inserted through the nipple generally cause less
scarring, they can interfere with breast tissue and milk ducts, and thus
impair the ability to produce milk. After the procedure, some women are
unable to breast-feed at all, he said.

Feinstock believes that the number of wet nurses will increase as more
women
elect cosmetic breast surgery.

Golden, however, remains unconvinced of a potential employment boom in
wet-nursing, adding, "I don't think wet-nursing is going to create 3
million
jobs lost by the Bush administration."

i think i remember reading somewhere that selling breast milk is illegal in
australia? would wet-nursing be classified as selling breastmilk?
--
elizabeth (in australia)
DS - born 20-aug-02