AAB 112 Breastfeeding - Part 4 Lactation failure in history

In last week's show, we took our breastfeeding tour through England and Germany and discovered similarities and differences in the culture regarding wet nursing. We have  learned that wet nursing, which is a woman who breastfeeds another's child, was a common practice all over the world, before the introduction of the bottle and formula.  From 2000 BC all the way to the 20th century, wet nursing evolved from an alternative of need to an alternative of choice.  We have learned that wet nursing became so popular, which actually caused some problems, so much so that it moved to become a well organized profession with contracts and laws designed to regulate its practice. Wet nurses were hired by agencies and where they practiced and what they were paid was regulated by the agencies.    Read More