One young mom noticed her baby always wanted to breastfeed, so she made an unconventional decision to get some extra help.
When 21-year-old nurse Julia Cannons welcomed her baby girl, Naomi, into the world, it was the happiest day of her life. She dedicated all her time and energy to raising her daughter and wanted the best for her.
However, Julia, a mom from St. Louis, MO, needed a little help in the feeding department when her 6-month-old daughter Naomi wouldn’t take a bottle. Anxious for her little girl to eat and in desperate need of a shower, Julia asked her mom Angela Owens — who could still somehow produce breast milk after years — to breastfeed her granddaughter.
“[My mom] had always lactated — she never stopped — so she had always asked me how would I feel if she tried to latch Naomi,” Julia said. “I didn’t mind it, we just never ended up trying. Naomi was going through a cluster-feeding stage and I had to take a shower and she was squealing her head off, so I said, ‘Mom, try to latch her,’ and it was a wrap after that.”
Looking after her baby was a full-time job, and Julia was grateful that she didn’t have to raise her child alone. Her mom, Angela, was always willing to lend a helping hand.
The 47-year-old had raised five kids and shared various tips and tricks with Julia. During one of their visits, the mom-and-daughter duo decided to do something unconventional. Julia said:
“One day I really wanted to have a shower and to get out of the house so I headed over to my mother’s. I was in the shower and [Naomi] needed a feed.”
Although the moment was certainly sweet, Julie’s mom only feeds her when she babysits now.
“It was extremely empowering as a woman to know my mom was feeding my daughter from the same breast milk that fed me for years,” she said. “It was magical and made me feel so good!”
While some people find it outrageous, other mothers are jealous. They know how much of a burden breastfeeding can be and wish they had a “wet nurse” to share some of the responsibility.
And yes, this photo confirms it certainly takes a village to raise a child! So heartwarming!
