Salma Hayek Breastfeeds Malnourished Baby
Source: AOL.ca
Posted: 02/11/09 2:14PM
Filed Under: Celebrity
Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly has quipped that Salma Hayek's ""left breast has now done more for humanity in a few minutes than I've done in roughly my whole life." The comment comes after the actress and UNICEF amvbassador was filmed breastfeeding a malnourished child in Sierra Leone.
Celebrity Do-Gooders |
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PHOTOS |
Hayek was in the country on a visit to fight tetanus. She was filmed breastfeeding for a Nightline video to highlight the importance of breastfeeding to reduce mortality.
Hayek is an advocate for breastfeeding, because of its benefits, including, building stronger infant immune systems. The infant she was feeding had a mother could not produce milk. As she breast-fed, Hayek revealed that her great-grandmother had once breastfed a hungry child.
Members of the media have responded in varying ways to the incident. A breastfeeding blog called Motherwear's was "blown away* that it was shown on network television while Buzzfeed.com simply thinks Hayek is trying to steal Angelina Jolie's thunder.
While it would seem odd that a woman would spread her breast milk among various children (Hayek is currently lactating to feed her own child, daughter Valentina), the concept is not a new one.
While wet nurses were widespread in previous centuries, the availability of formuula after World War II made it less necessary in developed counries. These days when a mother is unable to nurse, she can obtain milk at a milk bank, which is similar to a blood bank.
Salma Hayek Breastfeeding Malnourished Baby
FOR THE ORIGINAL VIDEO ON ABC NEWS, CLICK HERE.
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