A police officer has been praised by her colleagues for breastfeeding a severely malnourished baby while on duty at a children's hospital.
Celeste Ayala, who hails from Berisso in Argentina, was on guard duty at the Sor Maria Ludovica Children's Hospital in Beunos Aires, when she heard the cries of a young child.
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Noticing that the hospital staff were run off their feet, Celeste asked if she could hold and feed him. Celeste nursed the baby boy, and he immediately calmed down.
Speaking to local media outlets, Celeste recalled: "I noticed that he was hungry, as he was putting his hand into his mouth, so I asked to hug him and breastfeed him.
"It was a sad moment, it broke my soul seeing him like this, society should be sensitive to the issues affecting children, it cannot keep happening."
Local media reports suggest that the baby was the youngest of six siblings, and their mother was 'struggling' to care for all of her children.
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Celeste's colleague posted an image of the moment on social media, and it quickly went viral. Fellow police officer, Marcos Heredia, explained that some of the hospital staff had called the little boy 'dirty' but it didn't stop Celeste's maternal instincts from kicking in immediately.
Sharing the image online, Marcos wrote: "I want to make public this great gesture of love you made today for this little baby who you did not know, but for who you did not hesitate to act like a mother.
"You did not care if he was dirty, which is what the hospital staff called him. Good job mate."
Celeste also volunteers at a local fire station, and her colleagues here also praised her selfless actions.
Posting on social media, they said: "We want to congratulate the voluntary firefighting cadet Celeste Ayala who yesterday in her job as police officer whilst she was on guard duty at the hospital, breastfed a young child who arrived crying.
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"Actions like these fill us with pride and obligate us to redouble the effort, the work and the solidarity with our community."
While the FDA is hesitant to condone 'milk sharing', wet nursing is not uncommon and dates back for centuries. Milk banks also exist so that milk can be safely collected for babies who can't nurse from their mums.
Featured Image Credit: CENTopics: Breastfeeding, Life News, Real