Dear Jay,
 I was interested in your lactnet posting.

Here in Micronesia relatives cross nurse quite commonly. Sisters might
share in breastfeeding if one of the sisters would go out.  It does not
cause any breastfeeding problems, rather it seems to further promote it.
One nurse at the Pohnpei hospital explained to me how a group of her and
other nurses sometimes breastfeed another's baby as in the case of a
caesarian and the milk not having come in. She told me that she just really
wants to help out the babies, and so offers to the mothers if they want, no
mother has ever declined.

 I do not wish to provide you strong advice for or against it, I might say
that if  someone did crossfeed, it would anyway only be a short
time and probably would not be a deterrant to the mother breastfeeding.

Your manner of doing it would be important, there could be a way to not
make her feel inferior.   One could reassure the mother that she will be
able to breastfeed just as anyone else.

I was very interested in the warm experience of helping by cross nursing as
shared by Ruth Bacon. That was very touching.

 Warm wishes,
 Lois Englberger, MNS, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia