I find myself searching for “Mommy Group” friends now that I have a little one. It is funny how my life has changed so much, and now, on top of it all, I feel like I should surround myself with people that I did not know of have a need to know until I had a baby. The normal talks about who is dating who, or a conversation surrounding the longest lasting lip glosses, are lost on me. I would rather talk about smushed bananas or brands of diapers. I guess a baby will let you know where you are at in the world, and I had better catch up, and meet some more “Mommy” friends. The one part of this search that I am liking is that I am asserting who I am finally. Am I a soccer mom or a tree hugger? Do I make clothing for our family, or spend lots of time stroller walking the malls? There are mommy groups out there for everything, and I am excited about trying them!

With the rise of breastfeeding in our culture, we see lots of heated debates involving all sorts of issues on this matter. The one that I find particularly interesting is that some women are enlisting the help of wet nurses. I am sure these are well to do women, that have a career that they just cannot give up. The one question, without knowing too much on the subject, where do these women come from? Do they have a family of their own? In order to have milk you usually need a child. So what do these women do with their babies?

I have to say, though, with the little bit that I know, this is a good thing. As long as the wet nurse can prove that she is healthy, I think that it is important to breastfeed babies. I know that babies can get it from a bottle, but when the child nurses at the breast, it tells the female to produce more milk. I don’t think that a pump can provide this same cause and effect, and definitely not long term. I have held babies that cried so hard with no way to console them, and my friend has held mine. After lots of thought, I think that I would prefer my friend breastfeed my child rather than try to console him to no avail.