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History of Breastfeeding

OK, other that the fact that breastfeeding started with the first baby, have you ever wondered how breastfeeding and infant feeding practices have changed through the ages? Here are some articles on this subject.

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Breastfeeding: The Lost Art by Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC

The Legacy of Scientific Motherhood by Marie Davis, RN, IBCLC

The Role of Advertising in Providing for Infants by Andrew Van Alstyne

Breastfeeding History Timeline by Schai B. Pilkenton

 Breastfeeding Timeline from the National Alliance for Breastfeeding Advocacy

History of Breastfeeding by Ted Greiner, PhD

A Look at Breastfeeding: Past, Present and Future by Nancy E. Wight MD, FAAP, IBCLC

Nursing Bottles in History from adiri.com

The history of the feeding bottle from the Baby Bottle Museum in the UK

Neonatal Feeding by Martin H. Greenberg, MD, Chapter 4 from Historical Review and Recent Advances in Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine (Smith GF and Vidyasagar D, editors)

Infant Nutrition (1866-1966): An Exhibit in Five Parts Introduction by Patricia Swan, PhD, from the Eskind Biomedical Library Historical Collection of Vanderbilt University Medical Center

An Essay upon Nursing and the Management of Children, from their Birth to Three Years of Age, by a Physician [William Cadogan, 1711-1797] (scroll down to the part beginning with "The Feeding of Children" - 7th paragraph)

The philosopher Favorinus on breast-feeding (Aulus Gellius, Attic Nights 12.1, exc. L)

A controversial formula by Emma Hall. "Infant formula is an adequate substitute for breastfeeding, but it has a chequered history and remains controversial"

The Legal History of Breastfeeding by Jama E. Fisk, JD

Parenting History links from About.com

Wet Nursing

History of Wet Nursing/Cross Nursing by Judy Minami (scroll down toward the end)

Choosing a Wet-nurse from Childbirth or The Happy Deliverie of Women by James Guillemeau, London 1612

Advice on hiring a wet-nurse. Rome, 1st cent. A.D.

Hiring a wet-nurse. Italy, 3rd/2nd cent. B.C.

Two contracts for the services of wet nurses for slave children. Alexandria, 13 B.C.

Books of interest

Milk, Money, and Madness: The Culture and Politics of Breastfeeding
by Naomi Baumslag and Dia L. Michels

A Social History of Wet Nursing in America : From Breast to Bottle
by Janet Lynne Golden

Page last modified: 03/03/2005