When it comes to feeding your baby, a mother will do whatever it takes…and understandably so.
After all, a baby’s gotta eat and FED IS BEST. So you breastfeed, bottlefeed, use formula, pump, OR in some cases, ask your sober friend to breastfeed your baby when you’ve had a few too many.
Because it takes a village, people.
In a video that is quickly going viral on TikTok, a mom is stirring up all kinds of controversy when she got a friend to breastfeed her baby after she’d had a few drinks.
Grace, who goes by the user name @gregariously_grace, captioned the video:
“When you’re a few drinks in so you let your friend nurse your baby.”
The TikTok opens with the two women sitting beside each other on a bed, both smiling. Grace, who appears to be pumping, watches as her friend breastfeeds her daughter.
While her daughter reaches up to her friend’s face, Grace lovingly strokes her baby’s head.
The video clip is only 13-seconds long and is set to the song, Que Sera Sera.
In addition to the caption overlay, Grace also added the hashtags #nursing #friendshipgoals #breastfeeding #breastfed #baby #babies #momsoftiktok #foryou #4you #4u #fedisbest #findyourgrace #nourisheveryyou.
You can take a look at it here:
@gregariously_grace #nursing #friendshipgoals #breastfeeding #breastfed #baby #babies #momsoftiktok #foryou #4you #4u #fedisbest #findyourgrace #nourisheveryyou
Since being posted, the video has “racked” up 1.8M views, 65K likes, 2800 comments, and a whole lotta controversy.
Some commenters praised the “sisterhood,” like this one who wrote:
“This is real womanhood, sisterhood. This is what we used to do.
It’s still a beautiful moment. A woman sharing the most intimate, sacred part of herself with her sister.
I think it’s an honor that not many women are blessed to experience. Much love to you both.”
Others preferred to call it “THE VILLAGE,” saying:
Because let’s face it, there is nothing more village-y than helping out a mother whose baby needs feeding.
It’s also what you could say being “breast friends” looks like.
I mean, sure, you COULD have that friend that holds back your hair when you’re drunk vomiting all over your shoes OR you could have a friend like Grace’s.
And really, should we even be the ones to talk? We drink milk from cows. And goats. And buffaloes. And camels. (Look, I had no idea about the last two until I googled it, but apparently, they’re a thing).
Even so, not everyone was convinced. Some people weren’t quite sure how they felt about it, like Lex.
People tried to help her out with some suggestions:
And while Brittany and Angelina’s feelings were somewhat ambiguous, others knew EXACTLY what they were feeling. (And it wasn’t the warm and fuzzy afterglow you get from a good glass of wine).
It’ll be a NOPE for them.
Some people were bothered by the intimacy factor and having another person bond with their baby in that way.
Others just weren’t here for it. Like, at all.
And while Grace refrained from getting involved in the comment section, she did decide to do a follow-up video to address one person’s comment regarding drinking and breastfeeding:
“I don’t get it, why is your friend bfing your baby? You can have a drink and feed at the same time!”
@gregariously_grace #breastfeeding #breastfed #findyourgrace #fyp #foryou #breastfedmommas
In the video, Grace explains that her friend has a 7-month-old and her baby was out of state for the weekend.
She further explains:
“I let her nurse him to strengthen his immune system. And also to relieve her.
It is absolutely okay to drink and nurse. If you’re feeling sober enough to drive you can nurse.
I trust [my friend] to breastfeed my baby because she breastfeeds her own.”
As for what the CDC has to say about breastfeeding and alcohol, it states that “generally, moderate alcohol consumption by a breastfeeding mother (up to 1 standard drink per day) is not known to be harmful to the infant, especially if the mother waits at least 2 hours after a single drink before nursing.”
As for sharing milk?
Women have been doing this for centuries. It was a common practice for women who were unable to breastfeed (or just chose not to) to use wet nurses.
And thanks to a recent nationwide formula shortage that decimated supplies, sharing breast milk once again soared in popularity.
However, it’s not without risk. Both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Food and Drug Administration discourage casual sharing. They cite safety concerns such as the potential spreading of disease or exposure to medications, alcohol, illegal drugs, or other contaminants.
If you want to share milk, they recommend discussing it with your paediatrician first.