A quantitative study on Muslim milk mother’s understanding of the Islamic concept of wet nursing

Abstract

Background The practice of wet nursing or breastfeeding another woman’s child in Malaysia, especially among Muslim mothers, is on the rise. This is due to the emergence of public awareness of the benefits of breast milk to children. However, it is claimed that some mothers do not have a clear understanding of the Islamic rulings concerning wet nursing, especially those related to mahram (prohibition to marry), nasab (lineage) and inheritance. Hence, the purpose of this study is to examine the level of understanding of the legal implications of wet nursing and the factors influencing the practice among Muslim mothers who have practiced breastfeeding. Methods This was a cross-sectional descriptive study that was conducted between January and July 2019. This study was conducted with 100 Muslim mothers who had breastfed others’ child(ren) in Selangor. Data were obtained using a validated questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.8) and processed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results The results show that the majority of the respondents understand the basic Islamic rulings on wet nursing, especially on the persons prohibited to marry, conditions and feeding method. However, the respondents need to further understand the rulings related to nasab (lineage), guardianship and inheritance involving the milk child. Various factors that have influenced wet nursing in society were also found. Conclusions This study has significant implications for the need to have more activities to create awareness and enhance the understanding related to wet nursing among Muslim women in society. Therefore, more research studies related to wet nursing and the impact of the practice should be conducted to offer better solutions to society.

Motivators and barriers to the acceptability of a human milk bank among Malaysians

“…Informal milk sharing has been a common practice among close friends and family members for many generations. For Muslims, wet nursing is permissible when the mother is not able to produce breast milk; the Prophet Muhammad himself was breastfed by two different wet nurses [ 48 ]. Parents can mutually agree to employ wet nurses to feed their children when the need arises [ 49 ], hence demonstrating the preference of feeding babies with human milk instead of animal milk in Islam.…”

The Role of Parents in Child Rearing From Islamic Law Perspective: A Study Based on Thoppur Area of Trincomalee District in Sri Lanka

“…After adhan, the sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) is accomplished by chewing a date palm and softening it to the child or by offering sweet things like sugar, honey, etc., and the baby's muscles, nerves, dental palates, jaws and mouth areas are activated. As a result, the baby's mother is forced to suck milk from her mother's breast (HaninHamjah et al, 2022).…”

“…In particular, breastfeeding is the right of the child and is a prevalent practice in the society from ancient time. In Islam, a mother has insisted on Suckling continuously for two years from the birth of the baby (HaninHamjah et al, 2022). Breastfeeding is a mother's responsibility for her child, however, from the Islamic perspective, it is considered an act of worship.…”

Determining Knowledge and Opinions of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurses on Wet-Nursing and Human Milk Banks: A Cross-Sectional Study in Türkiye

“…A wet-nurse refers to the practice of someone other than the biological mother breastfeeding an infant (Hanin Hamjah et al, 2022; Norsyamlina et al, 2021). Wet nursing has been utilized as an alternative feeding method for infants for a long time (Hanin Hamjah et al, 2022). The primary motivation behind wet-nursing is the trust and familiarity between the donor and recipient families.…”