Wet nursing means another lactating woman feeds a baby at the breast. Donor milk is human milk expressed by someone other than the baby’s mother. The GAPS books treat both as ways to keep human milk in the feeding plan when a mother cannot provide enough milk or cannot breastfeed at all. Direct nursing is the first choice in the current book, but expressed donor milk is still presented as preferable to formula.[1]
This guide explains why Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride wants wet nursing brought back, where colostrum and the mother’s gut fit, and how the larger plan connects. When you are ready to act on it, use the guides for food for a wet nurse or milk donor, donor vetting, and building a milk-sharing network before birth.
What Wet Nursing Is
For most of human history, a family without enough maternal milk did not have a commercial formula aisle. Women lived close to other women who were nursing at the same time. If one mother was ill, died in childbirth, or could not feed her baby, another woman fed the baby. That shared feeding was wet nursing.[1]
The arrangement may now look like direct nursing, expressed milk from one known donor, or milk shared by several women. Those routes are not identical. The current GAPS book prefers milk flowing directly from the breast, then recognizes pumped, refrigerated, and rewarmed human milk as the next route when direct nursing is unavailable.[1]
Why GAPS Prefers Living Human Milk
The GAPS explanation begins with the difference between living milk and a manufactured substitute. Human milk carries active immune cells, immune complexes, enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, fats, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and microbes. The book also describes breast milk as a probiotic food that helps establish the baby’s gut flora.[1]
Processing changes living milk. Campbell-McBride writes that heat and handling kill active cells and alter other complex components. That is why the preference has an order: milk directly from a healthy woman’s breast first, then expressed human milk when needed, with formula as the fallback when human milk cannot be found.[1][2]
A laboratory study of 24 donor-milk batches offers a useful processing comparison. High-temperature short-time treatment preserved more IgA, IgG, IgM, and leptin than Holder pasteurization. The study does not compare every kind of donor milk or establish a complete feeding plan, but it supports the narrower point that processing method can change important milk components.[3]
When Donor Milk Becomes Relevant
The wet-nursing chapter starts with a simple situation: a mother cannot produce enough milk or cannot produce milk at all. It also discusses a narrower situation in which a baby is ill while exclusively breastfed and the book connects the problem with the mother’s health and milk. In that severe-case discussion, it describes finding a healthy wet nurse while the mother works on her own health and the baby follows the age-appropriate Baby GAPS feeding route.[1]
These are the severe cases Campbell-McBride describes, rather than a way to diagnose a problem with your milk from a symptom alone.[1] If a baby is unwell or not getting enough milk, arrange a feeding assessment and a plan that meets that baby’s needs. A premature or ill baby needs an individual donor-milk plan with the baby’s care team.[6] Read the maternal-gut and breast-milk explanation for the GAPS discussion.
Why Colostrum Has Special Priority
Colostrum is the rich first milk produced after birth. Campbell-McBride places special emphasis on a baby receiving it during the first days and describes colostrum production as continuing through roughly the first two weeks. When a baby missed it, the book tells the family to look for a woman who has just given birth and may have enough to share.[1]
Campbell-McBride also recommends seeking fresh colostrum for babies with eczema, colic, asthma, allergies, or another illness, and reports that it can sometimes resolve the problem.[1] That is her clinical account, not a test of what is causing an individual baby’s symptoms. Keep the baby’s assessment and adequate feeding in place while exploring donor support.[6]
If colostrum is part of the feeding plan, ask who has recently given birth, whether direct nursing is possible, and how milk could reach the baby. Use the same donor screening as for other shared milk.[6] The colostrum and early-breastfeeding guide explains why the GAPS books give these first feeds such importance.[1][2]
How the Mother’s Gut Fits
The same book compares breast milk with the mother’s blood and says her gut flora, nutritional status, and toxic load can affect what reaches her milk. That is the context behind the severe-case wet-nurse route. It is also why the donor’s health matters in the GAPS framework.[1]
A separate FAQ about elevated vitamin A in a breastfed baby discusses testing the mother as well as the baby, changing the mother’s food, and donor milk in severe cases.[5] This is a response to a specific clinical problem, not a routine reason to replace a mother’s milk. The nursing-food guide explains that example and its dietary qualifications.
In “Wet Nursing,” Campbell-McBride says to choose a healthy woman and names her healthy, thriving baby as the best indicator.[1] Before feeding shared milk, use the donor-vetting guide to discuss health, medicines, infection screening, and milk handling. A thriving baby alone cannot establish that shared milk is suitable.[6] The donor-food guide covers the nursing diet.
Direct Nursing, Expressed Milk, and Rewarming
The order in the current book is practical. Put the baby directly to the donor’s breast when that is possible. When it is not, expressed milk can be collected, refrigerated, and rewarmed. Campbell-McBride says those steps reduce some benefits but still places that milk well ahead of formula. She also says not to warm milk in a microwave.[1]
That leaves room for a real household arrangement. A donor who cannot attend every feeding may still express milk. A mother may combine her own milk with donor milk. The current book says even one breastfeeding session per day can help a bottle-fed baby, while the expanded book says even a small or occasional amount of human milk matters when formula is also used.[1][2]
Build the Network Before You Need It
Campbell-McBride tells pregnant women to meet other local pregnant women through antenatal classes or similar gathering places and form a wet-nursing group. The expanded book also names childbirth-preparation classes and the maternity ward as places to look. It recommends having two to four potential wet nurses or milk donors so the baby can receive enough milk.[1][2]
Start making these connections during pregnancy, before the baby arrives.[1][2] The network-building guide helps you record names, availability, direct-feeding or expressed-milk plans, and backup coverage.
If Formula Is Still Needed
Sometimes a family cannot find enough human milk. The expanded GAPS book still encourages adding whatever human milk is available, even if the amount is small or the feed is occasional. When formula is the only option, or is used alongside occasional human milk, that edition instructs adding a high-quality probiotic to every bottle from the beginning.[2]
You can value the book’s preference for human milk and still fill a feeding gap promptly. If supplemental feeding is needed, agree on a plan that meets the baby’s needs; do not postpone a feed while looking for a donor.[6] Discuss any probiotic for a baby with the baby’s clinician. Read Breast Milk vs. Formula on GAPS for the wider comparison.
A Practical Map
| Question | GAPS Route | Where to Continue |
|---|---|---|
| What is the preferred feeding route? | Direct human milk from a healthy woman when possible; expressed donor milk when direct nursing is unavailable.[1] | Breast milk versus formula |
| What if the baby missed early colostrum? | Look for a woman who has recently given birth and can share colostrum.[1] | Colostrum and early breastfeeding |
| How is a donor chosen? | Discuss the book’s healthy-donor indicator alongside medical screening and safe milk handling.[1][6] | Donor vetting |
| How many people should be in the plan? | The expanded book names two to four wet nurses or milk donors.[2] | Build the network |
| What should a donor eat? | The official Baby FAQ says Full GAPS can be followed while nursing and gives a later, limited opening for Intro once the baby is eating solids and breast milk is used only for topping up.[5] | Donor food guide |
What I Can Add From Our Family
I have nursed for almost six years straight. Most of the time, I ate the same food I cooked for the rest of our family. After our fifth baby, I tried Intro while nursing and found it too restrictive for postpartum and breastfeeding, so I moved to Full GAPS.[4]
That long nursing season is why I care about the practical side of feeding: who can help, what is already prepared, and what happens when the day does not go to plan. I would want those conversations to happen before a baby was waiting for the next feed. You can read my nursing-on-GAPS family story for the experiences behind that advice.[4]
Make the Feeding Plan Before Baby Arrives
The Preparing for Baby: A GAPS Preconception Plan for Both Parents course brings GAPS preconception and household preparation together. You can find it in my shop’s course catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wet Nursing Part of the GAPS Approach?
Yes. The 2020 book has a dedicated wet-nursing chapter and calls for bringing the practice back when a mother cannot provide enough milk or cannot breastfeed.[1]
Does GAPS Require Direct Nursing?
No. Direct nursing is preferred, but the book also accepts expressed, refrigerated, and rewarmed donor milk and still places it ahead of formula.[1]
Does a Small Amount of Donor Milk Still Matter?
The current book says even one breastfeeding session per day can help a bottle-fed baby. The expanded book also says a small or occasional amount of human milk is valuable when formula is used.[1][2]
When Should I Start Looking for Donors?
Begin during pregnancy. The books encourage local connections before birth so you have people to contact if you need help with feeding.[1][2]
References
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), gut-flora discussion and A-Z, “Wet Nursing.”
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Psychology Syndrome, expanded second German edition (2015), pregnancy preparation and “New Baby” sections. English descriptions here are translations of the German text.
- Escuder-Vieco, D., et al. “Effect of HTST and Holder Pasteurization on the Concentration of Immunoglobulins, Growth Factors, and Hormones in Donor Human Milk.” Frontiers in Immunology (2018). Full study, DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02222.
- Garnica, Ebonie. Nursing on GAPS: Almost Six Years of Our Family’s Experience.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. GAPS Frequently Asked Questions, “Baby,” question 2, and “Vitamins,” question 3.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Use of Donor Human Milk, infant-specific feeding needs, donor screening, and safe collection and handling.
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