A Mom Told Her Sister-in-Law to Breastfeed Her 5-Day-Old Son, and the One-Time Favor Turned Into a Seven-Year Family Tradition

A family outing in London’s Battersea Park eventually became the beginning of a routine that neither household had planned in detail. The New York Post’s report describes sisters-in-law Holly and Becky Stevens breastfeeding each other’s children, an arrangement the women say grew from trust and convenience. Their story attracted attention because something many parents consider deeply personal had become part of their shared family life.

The practice began when the women were spending time with relatives and a baby needed feeding. What followed was not a complicated parenting plan or a formal agreement between two households. Instead, a spontaneous decision gradually became part of the way they helped one another raise their children.

They Were Family Before They Became Breastfeeding Partners

Holly and Becky were close long before they became mothers navigating feeding schedules. According to LADbible’s report on their story, the women met as teenagers after Becky began dating Holly’s brother, Ed, who later became her husband. Over the years, their friendship developed into a family relationship that also extended into their professional lives.

Both women work in public relations, and Holly eventually joined Becky’s PR company. Their longstanding connection meant they already knew each other well before the breastfeeding arrangement began. That familiarity would become especially important when an ordinary afternoon presented an unexpected challenge involving Holly’s newborn son.

Freddy Was Only Five Days Old

The official ITV account of their appearance on This Morning places the beginning of the arrangement during a family outing in London’s Battersea Park. Holly and her then-partner had gone out on a pedal boat with other relatives, while Becky stayed behind with her husband Ed and baby Freddy. At just five days old, Freddy was still a newborn who needed regular feeding.

When Freddy began crying, Becky sent Holly a message asking what she should do. Holly’s response was straightforward: she told Becky to feed him. Because Becky was already breastfeeding her own infant, the suggestion provided an immediate solution without requiring anyone to return home or locate a bottle.

Becky Was Already Breastfeeding Her Own Baby

At the time, Becky was nursing her seven-month-old son, Foy. She therefore had experience breastfeeding an infant and was already producing milk, making the suggestion a practical possibility in that moment. The arrangement did not begin with the women debating a parenting philosophy; it began with a hungry newborn and two relatives who trusted one another.

Becky later explained that she had briefly wondered whether nursing Freddy might cross a boundary, even though Holly had given her permission. She also recalled that she did not have formula available during the outing. What could have become an awkward situation instead turned into the first instance of a practice that would continue for years.

A Practical Solution Followed Them Into Work

The breastfeeding arrangement did not end with that afternoon in the park. As Holly and Becky continued working together, they sometimes found themselves caring for one another’s children while managing the ordinary demands of their jobs. Holly described occasions when she arrived at Becky’s workplace after leaving Freddy with a nanny and realized she had forgotten her breast pump.

Rather than allowing the forgotten pump to disrupt the day, Becky offered another practical solution. Holly could breastfeed Becky’s son Foy while she was there, turning what had initially been a one-way favor into a reciprocal arrangement. Their experience showed how the practice developed through everyday childcare situations rather than from a decision to adopt an unusual parenting routine.

Babysitting Became Easier During a Family Transition

The arrangement also proved useful after Holly separated from Freddy’s father. Becky frequently helped with babysitting, giving Holly another trusted person who could care for her son. If Freddy needed breastfeeding while he was with Becky, there was no need to coordinate an additional bottle for that occasion.

That practical advantage mattered because childcare often involves several moving parts, particularly for parents balancing work and changing family circumstances. Having someone nearby who was already comfortable caring for a baby could make some arrangements simpler. For the sisters-in-law, breastfeeding became one part of a larger pattern of helping each other through the unpredictable demands of raising children.

A Joke Eventually Became a Real Arrangement

Becky revealed that the possibility of breastfeeding each other’s children had been something the pair had joked about before the park outing. When Holly actually suggested feeding Freddy, Becky welcomed the opportunity, although she admitted to briefly wondering whether she was overstepping. The first experience turned an idea they had discussed casually into something they were both comfortable continuing.

That detail helps explain why the event did not feel entirely unexpected to either woman. They already had a close relationship and had discussed the possibility before an infant’s immediate needs brought it into practice. As the arrangement continued, it became less about the novelty of one moment and more about the trust underpinning their family relationship.

More Children Joined Their Families

Holly and Becky each went on to have additional children, and their arrangement continued beyond Freddy’s first days. Holly is the mother of Freddy and daughter Violet, while Becky and Ed have seven children, including Foy, Scout and their youngest daughter, Pearl. Reports about the women say they eventually extended the practice to breastfeeding each other’s daughters as well.

By the time the sisters-in-law discussed their experience publicly in September 2026, the arrangement had been part of their family lives for roughly seven years. It was no longer an isolated response to a newborn crying during an outing. Their accounts describe a form of mutual help that continued as their families grew and their childcare needs changed.

The Women Say It Strengthened Their Bond

In a later interview with PEOPLE, Holly described the response to their story and explained the family connection behind the practice. She said the women were already extremely close but felt that breastfeeding each other’s children had created another bond between them. Their relationship, in her account, had expanded to include another way of nurturing and comforting one another’s children.

Holly also emphasized that the connection extended beyond the two adults. She described the children as having another person in their lives who loved them and could offer care and comfort. For the sisters-in-law, the experience was not simply about making feeding easier; they saw it as another expression of the closeness already present between their households.

Their Children Grew Up Treating the Practice as Normal

According to Holly, the children became so accustomed to the arrangement that they generally did not react to it. Because they had grown up seeing the two families spend time together and care for one another, breastfeeding across the households did not necessarily seem remarkable to them. The practice was part of a broader family environment they already understood.

The older children have also been aware of how the adults approach parenting. Holly joked that some of Becky’s teenage children probably regard the women as a little unconventional, but she said they did not view the breastfeeding arrangement as strange or wrong. Their reaction illustrates how an unusual practice to outsiders can become ordinary within a household when children grow up seeing it as part of everyday life.

Not Every Relative Understood Their Choice

Although the women feel comfortable with the arrangement, they acknowledged that some other relatives regard their approach to parenting as unconventional. Holly said family members sometimes described the pair as earthy or unconventional, reflecting the fact that their choices do not match everyone’s expectations. Nevertheless, neither woman said such reactions had caused them to abandon the arrangement.

Holly has explained that she generally ignores criticism from people who disagree with their decision. Becky, meanwhile, observed that discussing the subject sometimes prompted others to share stories about similar practices in their own families. Their experience suggests that reactions can vary considerably, even among people who are familiar with breastfeeding and infant care.

Their Public Story Drew a Surprisingly Positive Response

When Holly and Becky appeared on This Morning on September 9, 2026, they shared details of their arrangement with a much wider audience. Public discussion could have brought criticism, and Holly acknowledged that breastfeeding is a subject that can provoke strong opinions. However, when she later spoke to PEOPLE, she said the response had been more positive and supportive than she expected.

Holly said many people appeared to understand that the arrangement had developed naturally between two close relatives and their children. The response surprised the women because they had anticipated that their decision would divide opinion. Their experience also revealed that a story some viewers might initially find unfamiliar could resonate with people who valued mutual support between parents.

Wet Nursing Has a Long History

Breastfeeding a child who is not one’s own is often described as wet nursing, a practice that existed long before modern infant formula became widely available. Historically, some families relied on other lactating women to nurse babies, and wet nursing could be a paid occupation. An interview with the women published by The Times also places their arrangement in the context of that longer history.

Holly herself referred to wet nursing when explaining why the idea did not seem inherently strange to her. Historical precedent, however, does not automatically answer modern questions about health and safety. The fact that a practice has existed for centuries is different from establishing that every arrangement is appropriate for every infant.

A Doctor Warned That Familiarity Does Not Remove Every Risk

During their television appearance, the women were joined by Dr. Zoe Williams, the show’s resident doctor, who discussed safety considerations. In PEOPLE’s report on their appearance, Williams acknowledged the historical role of wet nursing while cautioning that breastfeeding another person’s baby should not be undertaken casually. She pointed to the possibility of infections being transmitted between individuals.

Williams also said people might not know enough about another person’s health or lifestyle to assess potential risks. Relevant considerations can include smoking, alcohol consumption and prescription or nonprescription medication use. Her comments distinguished the specific circumstances of two close relatives who know each other well from a general recommendation that anyone should breastfeed another person’s child.

Official Guidance Recommends Care With Shared Human Milk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration provides additional context for parents considering human milk from someone other than their child’s mother. Its guidance on donor human milk recommends consulting a healthcare provider and advises using milk from screened donors who follow appropriate safety precautions. The FDA specifically warns against feeding babies milk obtained directly from individuals or through the internet when screening and safe handling cannot be assured.

That guidance primarily addresses milk supplied from another source, including expressed milk shared between people, rather than directly evaluating the specific arrangement described by Holly and Becky. Nevertheless, it highlights concerns that may matter when parents consider sharing human milk, including infectious diseases, medication or substance exposure, and contamination during handling or storage. Decisions about infant feeding should take account of an individual baby’s health and circumstances rather than relying on familiarity alone.

Research Shows That Informal Milk Sharing Is Not Unheard Of

A 2025 study published in a peer-reviewed medical journal examined donor and shared breast milk use among U.S. mothers. Of the 1,909 participants with relevant data at 24 weeks postpartum, 70, or 3.7%, reported feeding their babies shared human milk. The study included milk obtained from friends or family members and milk accessed through milk-sharing networks.

Those findings provide useful background, but the numbers need to be interpreted carefully. The study examined the use of shared milk and did not specifically measure the practice of one mother directly breastfeeding another person’s child. It therefore cannot establish how common arrangements like Holly and Becky’s are, or whether their particular experience is representative of other families.

A One-Time Favor Became Part of Their Family Story

For Holly and Becky, the arrangement began with a simple need: Freddy was hungry, Becky was already breastfeeding her own baby, and Holly gave her permission to feed him. What might have remained an unusual moment during a family outing became a practice that continued through changing work schedules, childcare needs and the arrival of more children. Their account centers on the trust and convenience that made it possible for them to help each other.

The story also illustrates why the same decision can be viewed differently by different people. The two women describe their arrangement as a familiar part of family life, while medical guidance underscores the need to consider health and safety before sharing breastfeeding responsibilities. Their experience documents a choice that worked for their relationship, rather than establishing that every family should make the same one.