Wet Nurse

Wet Nurse

Linda Lowen is a journalist who specializes in women's issues. She produced and co-hosted Women's Issues, an award-winning public affairs talk show that ran for eight years.

Lowen, Linda. "The History and Definition of Wet Nurse." ThoughtCo, Oct. 29, 2020, thoughtco.com/history-and-definition-of-wet-nurse-3534100.
Lowen, Linda. (2020, October 29). The History and Definition of Wet Nurse. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/history-and-definition-of-wet-nurse-3534100
Lowen, Linda. "The History and Definition of Wet Nurse." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/history-and-definition-of-wet-nurse-3534100 (accessed October 15, 2022).

Surviving Infancy in the Middle Ages
Does the Taurine in Red Bull Really Come from Bull Semen?
Welfare Reform in the United States
What Is Attachment Theory? Definition and Stages
Dairy Farming - the Ancient History of Producing Milk
P.T. Barnum, the "Greatest Showman on Earth"
Understanding the Pros and Cons of Protectionism
Understanding Shakespeare's "Seven Ages of Man" in Today's World
Dictionary of Old and Obsolete Occupations - W
Elephant Seal Facts (Genus Mirounga)

ThoughtCo is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.

We've updated our Privacy Policy, which will go in to effect on September 1, 2022. Review our Privacy Policy

A wet nurse is a lactating woman who breastfeeds a child who is not her own. Once a highly organized and well-paid profession, wet nurses all but disappeared by 1900.

Before the invention of infant formula and feeding bottles made wet nursing virtually obsolete in Western society, aristocratic women commonly hired wet nurses , as breastfeeding was seen as unfashionable. The wives of merchants, doctors, and lawyers also preferred to employ a wet nurse rather than breastfeed because it was cheaper than hiring help to run their husband's business or manage a household.

Wet nursing was a common career choice for poor women among the lower classes. In many cases, wet nurses were required to register and undergo medical exams.

During the Industrial Revolution , lower-income families used wet nurses as more and more women began working and were unable to breastfeed. The rural poor—peasant women—began to assume the role of wet nurses.

While animal milk was the most common source for replacing human milk, it was nutritionally inferior to breast milk. Advances in science enabled researchers to analyze human milk and milk. Advances in science enabled researchers to analyze human milk and attempts were made to create and improve on nonhuman milk so that it could more closely approximate human milk.

In 1865 German chemist Justus von Liebig (1803–1874) patented an infant food consisting of cow's milk, wheat and malt flour, and potassium bicarbonate. The introduction of infant formula, the greater availability of animal milk, and the development of the feeding bottle reduced the need for wet nurses throughout the latter half of the 19th century and well into the 20th century.

After the rise of formula and the decline of wet nursing, the once common service has become almost taboo in much of the West. But as breastfeeding is becoming an increasingly acceptable practice once more, mothers of infants are feeling the pressure once again to nurse. However, uneven maternity-leave benefits around the nations and the real difficulties of breastfeeding mean that some women would likely benefit from returning to the age-old tradition of wet nursing.

As The New Republic reported in 2014, sharing nursing responsibilities—whether by formally hiring a wet nurse or by figuring out an informal arrangement among friends—was looking to be a reasonable solution that could relieve the burden on working mothers without compromising their babies’ feeding.

The practice remains controversial. Even the breastfeeding advocacy group, La Leche League, was discouraging the practice in 2007. According to spokeswoman, Anna Burbidge: "There are very strong reservations against it, both medically and psychologically. There are potential hazards. The biggest risk is that of infection being passed from the mother to the child. Breast-milk is a living substance expressly designed by your body for your baby, not someone else's."

Despite these risks, it's not surprising that in this age of ride-sharing and spare-room sharing, "milk sharing" is a phenomenon that some families are now trying. A Facebook group and milk-sharing sites have appeared, and according to a Netmums.com piece from 2016, the practice is on the rise. Their 2016 informal poll found that one in 25 women had shared their milk, and 5% of families had used milk from the more regulated source of a milk bank. As the taboo slowly lifts, this age-old practice may just make a real comeback.

(THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. OUR FULL DISCLOSURE POLICY IS QUITE BORING, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT HERE .)
New moms who long for a postpartum break can get really frustrated when baby won't nap. Help for parents when baby won't sleep. [Read more…]
Night weaning is possible with these gentle tips to help your child to start weaning from breastfeeding at night so that everyone can get some sleep. [Read more…]
Learn how to prepare for breastfeeding while you are still pregnant so that when your baby comes you can be prepared to breastfeed with confidence.. [Read more…]
Breastfeeding a newborn? There are ways to keep your sanity and actually enjoy the first few weeks at home with a baby as a new mom. [Read more…]
Dream feeding is often one of the secrets to getting a good night's sleep again as a breastfeeding mom. Most moms swear it works for them! [Read more…]
Finding a breastfeeding diet that works for you might be easier than you think without weaning or losing your breast milk supply. [Read more…]
Online breastfeeding magazine for nursing moms like you.
Many women ask questions like: what is a wet nurse, why would I need one and could I become one to help someone else? While wet nursing and cross nursing are not talked about a lot, it is still more popular than you might think.
How do you define wet nurse? When a woman with ample supply of breast milk nurses a child that is not her own biological offspring, she’s considered a wet nurse. True wet nursing occurs when a baby is fed entirely by a woman other than his or her biological mother. When the baby is nursed at times by his or her biological mother and then by a wet nurse at other times, the practice is referred to as cross nursing.
What’s a wet nurse today? It may not look quite the same. While many babies were authentically wet nursed prior to the 20 th century, most women are participating in a cross-nursing arrangement when they use the term “wet nursing” today. Even professionals working as modern wet nurses and mothers utilizing the services of a nurse fail to recognize the distinction between these terms in our modern age but there is a difference.
Regardless of the terms used, there are many reasons that wet nursing remains a serious option for many mothers today. Busy breastfeeding working moms want to devote their full attention to developing their careers, but they also understand the importance of their babies receiving nourishment from fresh human breast milk. In some cases, they struggle to pump often enough because of their schedules to fully meet the child’s growing nursing demands.
When wet nursing is used properly, ambitious women can literally have it all. They’re incredibly successful outside of the home while providing natural nourishment for their babies.
There are also circumstances that may prevent a breastfeeding mom from nursing her baby, temporarily or permanently. One mother may need to take a medication that could harm her baby if transferred through her breast milk while another mother struggles to produce enough milk to satisfy her growing baby. Most moms want their babies to have the many benefits that come from breastfeeding, so they decide to work with a wet nurse rather than switching to baby formula and bottles.
It’s also becoming more common for same-sex couples and adoptive mothers to seek the services of a wet nurse. While these parents may not have the physical ability to nourish their babies through breastfeeding, they want their children to benefit from the advantages that come to breastfed babies. While bottles and formula are easier to arrange, wet nursing is always best for the baby.
Historical documentation makes the case for active wet nursing throughout history. Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings depicted circumstances that were likely wet nursing arrangements, and the Code of Hammurabi established rules to regulate the practice as early as 2250 BC. Prior to the 17 th century, it was common for women of the upper classes to send their babies to lower-class women or rural peasants for the first two or three years of their life. The goal was to nourish the babies with wholesome breast milk without inconveniencing women of wealth.
Unfortunately, records kept in France during the 17 th and 18 th centuries prove that a large percentage of wet-nursed babies died early in life. This was believed to occur as a result of neglect by the wet nurses, but it’s likely that disease and other circumstances were at play. By the 18 th century, wealthy women were hiring live-in wet nurses because they wanted to watch their nurses closely. Many poor women who had to work to survive continued to send their babies to outside wet nurses despite the risk of death.
The distrust and disrespect of wet nurses was replicated in the United States. Even though the practice was common in the wealthy class, there was a lot of controversy because many people believed that it was a woman’s duty to nurse her own babies. There was also a lot of ignorance in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, which created an unstable work environment for wet nurses. For instance, many people believed that the quality of a woman’s milk decreased over time, so wealthy women would fire their wet nurses and bring in someone new on a routine basis.
The story was a little different in England because wet nurses were regarded with great respect even in the 18 th century. Families utilizing the services of a professional wet nurse were mostly appreciative, and the nurses were highly regarded in society. While there are many people who continue to value wet nursing today, there are also those who criticize the practice as unhealthy and dangerous. The main concern is that wet nursing puts babies at risk for diseases and illnesses that are sometimes transferred through breast milk, but many also argue that babies are confused when presented with another woman’s breast.
Learn more about the history of wet nursing here: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2684040/
How does one become a wet nurse? Well…ask yourself what motivates you to become a wet nurse. This is a critical question to answer before you start actively searching for employment opportunities. It’s important to carefully match your services to the right mother and baby because you’re going to work together in an intimate manner. When you can connect with the right mother and develop a trusting long-term relationship, the baby will benefit from bonding with his or her mother as well as one loving nurse.
While some wet nurses volunteer their services to friends based on need, most nurses go into this field because they want to make money doing something that is enjoyable and valuable. Many are young mothers themselves, and they want to contribute to the financial security of their families while remaining available to their own children. Others operate purely out of financial need. How you operate your wet nursing business and what clients you take on will depend largely on what you hope to gain from wet nursing.
In most cases, cross-nursing circumstances are intended when wet nursing is suggested today. Rather than serving as the only line of nourishment that a baby has, you’re most likely to provide breastfeeding services in addition to other childcare services. For instance, lactating nannies may now offer wet nursing as an additional service option. If you’re already established in the childcare business, then you may identify families in need of wet nursing services and negotiate private contracts directly.
If you can’t connect with people you know personally, there are other ways to become a professional wet nurse. You can place classified ads online , but you’re likely to be contacted by people who have less than sincere intentions. For instance, breastfeeding is a sexual fetish, so many women advertising their services online are propositioned by adults. You can still find legitimate clients willing to pay for your services by working with legitimate websites.
It’s important to thoroughly screen each applicant and make sure that they are a good fit to the services that you want to provide. Be prepared to answer questions about your own health, history, and lifestyle habits as well. Parents hiring wet nurses want to protect their children by doing a thorough screening of their own. They may even ask you to provide documented evidence that you don’t have any diseases that could impact their baby, and that includes sexually transmitted diseases.
If you simply need to express more milk than your baby can consume and you don’t want to throw it away, then consider donating to a milk bank. You won’t have to invest much of your time, and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that your milk is nourishing a baby somewhere in the world.
You have the choice of making a private arrangement with a healthy lactating mother who you know personally or finding a professional wet nurse online or through local resources. It’s important to find a woman who has a baby very close to the age of your own child because the composition of a mother’s milk changes as her baby grows. In order to receive proper nourishment, your baby needs milk produced for his or her state of development.
You may look at a wet nurse’s chubby, healthy baby and assume that her milk is clean and nourishing, but you don’t want to assume anything when the health of your baby is on the line. It’s important to thoroughly screen your wet nurse, even if you know her personally. La Leche League International suggests that you inquire about the following criteria before hiring a nurse:
For complete recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics on hiring a wet nurse: //pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/45/5/838
This should be very clearly laid out both verbally and in a contract. The nurse’s lifestyle, eating habits, etc…will affect your baby if they are nursed by her. If you have expectations, these should be clearly stated upfront.
In addition, contingency plans for if the wet nurse is ill, needs time off, etc…should be spelled out clearly as well.
A wet or cross-nursing arrangement should feel comfortable and natural. Instead of trying to hire someone only to feed your baby as needed, you may look for a long-term care provider who happens to offer breastfeeding services. This is an ideal arrangement because your baby can grow comfortable and bond with his or her care provider while receiving nourishment from the same person.
Regardless of the arrangement that you create for your baby’s health, make sure that you’re clear on what you expect from your wet nurse. If you plan on breastfeeding your baby at times as well, then discuss how often you may rely on your nurse and under what circumstances she is to fill in for you. If you want to hire a nurse capable of providing all of your baby’s feeding needs, then make sure that the wet nurse is confident that she can produce an adequate milk supply to satisfy her own baby as well as yours.
This site contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, we may receive commissions if you purchase something. However, we don’t recommend anything we would not use or LOVE to use ourselves. Learn more…
Breastfeeding-Magazine.com is also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com for products we use, love and recommend for new moms.
Copyright 2007-2020 Breastfeeding-Magazine.com

Art

Art

Business

Business

Computer Science

Computer Science

Education & Teaching

Education & Teaching

English

English

Health & Medicine

Health & Medicine

History

History

Humanities

Humanities

Math

Math

Psychology

Psychology

Science

Science

Social Science

Social Science

By Subject

By Subject

By Education Level

By Education Level

Adult Education

Transferable Credit

Teacher Certification

Teacher Certification

College Credit and Graduate Tests

College Credit and Graduate Tests

Nursing

Nursing

Real Estate

Real Estate

All Test Preparation Courses

Math Tutoring

Math Tutoring

Science Tutoring

Science Tutoring

Business Tutoring

Business Tutoring

Humanities Tutoring

Humanities Tutoring

Teacher Certification

PRAXIS

TExES

CSET/CBEST

FTCE

GACE

All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses

College Readiness

CLEP

DSST

AP

GRE

Nursing

HESI

Lesbo Sluts
Wibeke New Job Porn
Guys Doing Porn

Wet Nurse

Report Page