Have you experienced breastfeeding a child who is not your own? How frequently do you breastfeed him/her or them? Islam recognizes the importance of breastfeeding to the growth and development of a child, and the special bond that develops between a nursing woman and a baby.
A child who is breastfed by three to five times or more than that by the same woman is considered “Milk Kinship”. Milk kinship is an Islamic belief that human milk creates a kinship between the breastfeeding woman and her non-biological nursing infant as well as the woman's biological nursing infants prohibiting future marriages between "milk brothers and sisters". Her children cannot marry this baby when they are all grown up because they are considered milk siblings. Stem cells in the breast milk become part of the baby or make both parties as good as family.
In some cultures, it has been customary for infants to be nursed by a foster-mother sometimes called a "nurse-maid" or "milk mother". In ancient Arabia, it was common for city families to send their infants to a foster mother in the desert, where it was considered a healthier living environment. The Prophet Muhammad himself was cared for in infancy by both his mother and a foster-mother named Halima.
Milk kinship is a religious and cultural belief. The common understanding depends on the family’s origin and culture. Health and nutrition workers should discuss this with families whose goal is to consider all options for the healthy living of a newborn baby. Health and nutrition workers can help explain to families that breast milk is still the best food for optimum growth, development, and protection of the child. With this, health and nutrition workers allow these families to take information and to work out their practices with those they trust in their religious communities.
NO I Zhalimar A. Jakaria-Patulada, RND
References:
Huda (2019). What Are the Islamic Views on Breastfeeding? Retrieved August 6, 2021, from the Learn Religions website: https://www.learnreligions.com/breastfeeding-in-islam-2004497 [Last updated: June 25, 2019]
Subudhi, S., & Sriraman, N. (2021). Islamic Beliefs About Milk Kinship and Donor Human Milk in the United States. Pediatrics, 147(2), e20200441. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0441 [Retrieved: August 6, 2021]
