Breast Feeding - Shared Breastfeeding

It is sometimes common for more than one woman to feed a child, such as in developing nations within Africa. This shared breastfeeding has been highlighted as a source of HIV infection in infants. A woman who is engaged to breastfeed another's baby is known as a wet nurse. Islam has codified the relationship between this woman and the infants she nurses, and also between the infants when they grow up, so that milk siblings are considered as blood siblings and cannot marry.

Breastfeeding - Tandem Breastfeeding

Feeding two infants simultaneously is called tandem breastfeeding (Sidenote: Feeding a child while being pregnant with another can also be considered a tandem breastfeeding condition for the nursing mother, as she also provides the nutrition for two[58]). The most common need for tandem breastfeeding is after the birth of twins where both babies are fed at the same time. The appetite and feeding habits of each baby may not be the same, which could mean feeding each according to their own individual needs, while also trying to get them to breastfeed together to minimize time spent breastfeeding.

In cases of multiple births with three or more children, it can be extremely difficult for the mother to organise feeding around the appetites of all the babies. While breasts can produce large quantities of milk, according to the demand placed upon them,[59] it is common for women to use alternatives, although many mothers have been able to breastfeed their infants successfully without them.

Tandem breastfeeding may also occur when a woman has a baby while breastfeeding an older child. During the late stages of pregnancy the milk will change to colostrum, and some older nurslings will continue to feed even with this change, while others may wean due to the change in taste or drop in supply.