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An engraving of a woman breastfeeding her child by W. M. Craig (1810). (Wellcome Images)

‘Extended’ Breastfeeding in the Elizabethan Period

juliamartins99 December 2, 2022Posts

In the UK today, only 1% of babies are exclusively breastfed by the time they are six months old, as recommended by the World Health Organization. Even fewer infants are breastfed by their first birthday; extended breastfeeding, nursing beyond that age, is rarer still. Yet it was not always so.

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Louis XIV and his wet nurse by Charles Beaubrun, Palace of Versailles (late 17th century). (Public Domain)

Motherhood and Wet Nurses: Breastfeeding in Early Modern Times

juliamartins99 October 9, 2022Posts

If you were living in early modern England (say in the 17th century), there were so many things to consider after you had a baby. But one of the main decisions had to do with breastfeeding: should the mother feed the child herself, or should a wet nurse be hired? (A wet nurse was someone whose job was to care for and breastfeed the baby.)

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About the Author

julia martins profile picture

Dr Julia Martins is a historian of the body, an activist, and an unapologetic bookworm (she is the host of My Body, My Book Club - an online feminist book club). She is also an Activism Outreach Supporter with The Vavengers.

She writes about gender history and history of medicine, and how history can inform contemporary feminism.



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The Medici-Tornabuoni Birth Tray.

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Saint Agatha with her breasts on a tray.

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Another illustration of Santorio’s weighing machine, used in early digestion experiments.

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