Babies
Salma Hayek Breastfeeds A Hungry African Baby
UPDATE: Salma Hayek breastfeeding baby in Africa. Warning: You will see a baby take her last breath. Be prepared. Also, though, Salma and my post stated that the baby she breastfed was healthy, the baby was actually sick. See for yourself. As always, spread the word. Do your part.
Yes, you heard right. Salma lends her boobs to a hungry baby. During a recent trip to Sierra Leone, where Salma Hayek was fulfilling her charity duties, she visited a clinic and witnessed a woman “struggling to feed her baby, and she snapped into action.” According to Celebrity Baby Blog, Salma said, “The baby was perfectly healthy, but the mother didn’t have milk. He was very hungry. I was weaning Valentina, but I still had a lot of milk that I was pumping, so I breastfed the baby. You should have seen his eyes. When he felt the nourishment, he immediately stopped crying.”
I don’t know about you, but I am super impressed with this woman. I believe that the connection and warmth a child gets from breastfeeding far exceeds what they get from pumped breast milk or formula in a bottle. Nothing against moms that struggle with breastfeeding because I know darn well that it is challenging. I am also aware that some kids just don’t latch on or like the taste, however, I can’t help but wonder how fulfilling this was for her - to breastfeed a hungry child without a care in the world. Especially not caring what the media’s take would be. “Should I save this baby’s life, or should I care about front page news?” This is exactly why I blog about the little ones. This is why I say it takes a village/community to raise a child. Perfect example! She selflessly offered her milk to a starving baby.
Do we all really understand the importance of breast milk? When I had my daughter, she had to stay in the hospital a few extra days. There were kids that were far worse than her in the NICU. Do you know what cured most of these kids or at least helped facilitate a speedy recovery? Breast milk. The Doctors advocated that every mother breastfeed their sick babies, and those that didn’t have BM got donations.
I thought about donating my milk to babies in Africa. I looked into the process, but it was far from easy. Also, you’d have to go through several stacks of paperwork, tests and screenings which I wasn’t totally prepared for (with a brand new baby and my own complications). In addition, the closest bank to me, that I was aware of was in Northern California. Still, it should not be an excuse. I just wish I knew sooner and could prepare for it. If I were in Salma’s shoes, I would have done the same…without a doubt. As a matter of fact, I found out about the process of donating breast milk at the hospital when I offered to breast feed/donate pumped milk to a baby in desperate need.
While on this issue, let’s not forget about the biological mother that actually allowed Salma to breastfeed her hungry child. Was she conflicted in anyway? Did she think twice about it? Kudos to her! I can’t imagine what I’d feel. You know the moment when the baby locks eyes with Salma while she is feeding him? It makes me wonder. All the mixed emotions for everyone involved.
How do you all feel about this? Would you have done the same if you were Salma? Or are you totally against beast-feeding or donating BM to someone else’s child? Consider the rate of dying babies and malnourished kids in Africa or possibly other parts of the world (my main focus is Africa, however). While you are thinking about this, keep in mind that a lot of babies contract HIV/AIDS from their moms through breast feeding in Africa. This is especially why they test and screen all donated BM thoroughly. Like other issues I have raised in the past, there are always pros and cons. Your thoughts, perspective and comments are all welcomed. Shoot..
PS - Please, sponsor a child. Let us all do our part. Together, we can make a change. There is no reason why a child should have to suffer.
“Imagine you are starving to death. Unable to walk because you’re so weak, you are crawling inch by inch towards a food camp a kilometer away. Behind you, a vulture is waiting for you to die so that it can feast on your flesh. How would you feel if it really happened?” I got this touching excerpt from Teejee on flickr. This statement says it all. it explains the picture above.
Credits:
Excerpts from http://www.celebrity-babies.com
Photo: Kevin Carter (courtesy of http://newsahead.blogspot.com)
Related Posts
Tags: 
Mama!!! Totally love Salma Hayek…
I would’ve taken certain precautions, however it appears that Salam did just that.
My little Aidan refused breats milk in a bottle so he drank straight from my boobs:)My lil’ guy:)So..no bottled breast milk for Aidan.
Adanma, what sort of precautions would you have taken in that instance? Just curious:)
Well the article says the baby was healthy, so I guess Selma did what every nursing mother would do and you have breasts filled with milk, probably hurting.Been there…
Precautions: I mean make sure the baby doesn’t have any contagious diseases which could be easily transmitted through breastfeeding.
In that case,you can pump the milk. The article makes mention that the child’s mother was having difficulty producing milk.
So, it wasn’t so much the fact that he needed it through breastfeeding. He just needed breast milk.It could’ve been pumped:)
But this was a beautiful article. Way to go Selma!!!!
Hmm, not sure “every” nursing mother would do what Salma did. Bottom line about my post is the fact that Salma didn’t think twice. I don’t even think they had a pump anywhere at the camp (it could have been in a refugee camp, somewhere in the village of sierra leone), so let’s be realistic. She saw that the mother had difficulty producing milk and just totally went into action. That, is selfless.
You summed it up: It was a selfless act…
Totally impressed with you and your choice of articles Folake. This is such an important issue. As I’m watching this video that we just put in the post, tears in my eyes, I’m just hoping that all of the non-African readers here really understand the importance of this. The reason that I make the distinction is that most Westerners have never been exposed to some of the things you see in this video…and your life will be forever changed the first time you do.
Folake…this is great. That baby’s last breath brought tears to my eyes. I am a bit speechless. Well done…..
@ Greg- Thanks, babe. Appreciate your contributions, love.
@ Wale- Thanks, dear. I felt my heart stop for a second too. This is heavy and that’s why I posted it. While we are busy living our daily lives, we need to realize that it’s far worse for others, especially kids. Like the video said, a lot of those kids only live until they are 5yrs old. That’s just plain cruel!!
Let’s bring awareness to the children of Africa. The ones in remote villages.
This is awesome!!! Salma’s heart, is definitely bigger than her twins.
It’s really sad that we lose a lot of children to preventable diseases, it broke my heart to hear that the vaccine that could have saved the little girl’s life was only 7cents. 7 cents!! i have more than that in lose change in my car. I have to do more, we all have to do more. I use pampers, so i guess that is a start.
flakes, maybe is me but this sounds a bit bazaar. i mean the baby mom was there also the baby is not sick. maybe salma and the nurses there should teach the woman diffrent method of breastfeeding the baby.what if salma or the baby have some type of infection. everyone i am sorry this sounds strange. i have too much questions remember guys i am a mother to 4 children
@ S.M- Thank you! Tell me about it..a 7c vaccine caused the baby her life! Yes, it’s a great start if you are buying pampers, but then it goes back to the rich getting richer. Not saying don’t buy Pampers, but pampers is making mega profit and some tiny percentage is going towards this non-profit. It’s all a marketing strategy. When we can directly affect change, no need to go through a ‘middle man.’ Just a thought! I still, however, give them some credit for effort and awareness.
@ Kemi- Dear, so much fun to see your comments. You always make me want to write an essay. Lol. All I can say is. To each is own! The child was infact sick. You should watch and listen again. I’m sure preventive measures were taken. i.e. Salma had to take all her shots (as it is required), before visiting an African country or third world. Especially if it is in humanitarian regard. They always have to make sure their representatives are clear and free of any diseases or infections. Also, I’m sure the baby she picked to breastfeed (as there are tons in the camp), was the most healthy, therefore riding any infections. Trust me! We just don’t see behind the scenes, but if you research, you’ll find it.
Way to go Salma. Sharing your breastmilk with a hungry child is such a beautiful gift.
thanks. well it is cool what salma did if all the right things were put in place. i will do the same. kemi loves the kids
I love Your blog Keep it up
i’ m so impressed.use 2 look @ Salma as sexy figure, but now i respect what she stand for- a real woman, who cares about the less priviledged
Wow. I loved this article. I was truly moved to tears and would have completely done the same. I breast fed my son w/o any reservations, and I don’t find it to be weird or gross to breastfeed another child, especially if the child is starving. To me, that should be a no brainer. Thank you for sharing this
Bless you, Selma. The Womanly Art is a sacred gift, one we can give to our own children, and, when needed, to some other woman’s child.
The wet nurse is a major factor in the survival of many babies in the past. I breast fed each of my children for over a year. I would not have hesitated to offer sustenance to another child in need.
I love the tee shirt that proclaims ‘I Make Milk. What is Your Superpower?’
OMG….Salma Hayek Exclusive Video online at…
>>>>>> http://www.salma-hayek.co.tv <<<<<<<<
Enjoy!!! She pretty sexy….