Breastfeeding was a common practice before the invention of infant formula and bottles. Moreover, a woman whose body naturally produces something has the ability to use it in a powerful and positive way.
And it’s just like Frida star and longtime women’s welfare campaigner Salma Hayek did when she offered her milk to a complete stranger’s malnourished and hungry baby.
We at Bright Side like to congratulate stars who do charity work. Here is a touching story of a Hollywood actress who shows us that sometimes it takes so little to make a big difference.
Actress and producer Salma Hayek arrived in Sierra Leone in September 2008, not as a celebrity, but as a humanitarian to take part in an African charity mission.
While walking through the hospital, she came across a mother who had run out of milk. Hayek, who had a one-year-old daughter at the time, picked up a malnourished stranger’s son and began breastfeeding him, despite the presence of many film crews around her.
Encourage her daughter to be a generous and caring person when she grows up
After the breastfeeding incident, she admitted she had mixed feelings that she may have betrayed her own daughter by giving away her milk. However, she then thought that her daughter had no objection to sharing her milk, but instead said:
“In fact, I think my child would be very proud if he could share his milk.” She also said that when she grows up, she will encourage him to remain a generous and caring person. And she proudly added, “I think that’s the best thing I can give her as a mother.”
Kindness and selflessness are characteristic of the Hayek family.
Moreover, Hayek explained that the idea of helping a child in this way was a long tradition in his family. In fact, many years ago, in a Mexican village, her great-grandmother rescued a starving baby from a stranger who was crying inconsolably while nursing the baby, who in turn stopped crying instantly.
Hayek argued that her decision to breastfeed the stranger’s baby was also an attempt to reduce the stigma women have for breastfeeding. And with this act of kindness, she also said loud and clear that women should have choices and not be afraid of their bodies.
How do you feel about breastfeeding someone else’s baby? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments section below.
