Cross-nursing: wet-nursing in a contemporary context.

Cross-nursing, or the breast-feeding of an infant not one's own, appears to be an increasingly popular, if not well reported, practice. The physical and psychologic effects are not well documented, but may be quite different from those of the institutionalized wet-nursing of the past. Three mothers who cross-nurse were interviewed; the practice appears to have had no ill effect on them or their infants. Cross-nursing is a logical and practical extension of the resurgence of breast-feeding and may, in turn, increase the incidence of breast-feeding by making it more attractive to employed mothers. Before the practice can be properly evaluated, however, more data are needed, particularly with regard to possible physical reactions in the infants. In the meantime, pediatricians should be aware that their breast-fed patients may be participating in a cross-nursing situation, and suggest prudent considerations.