For centuries, wet nurses were essential, yet their own children often suffered or died.
In short: Before the 20th-century invention of reliable infant formula, wet nurses were a global necessity. While they saved countless infants of the wealthy and the ill, the practice often forced these women to abandon their own babies, frequently leading to tragic outcomes for the caregivers' own families.
Wet nursing is an ancient, global practice that provided a vital lifeline when biological mothers could not breastfeed due to illness, death, or social constraints. In many societies, this role was a respected profession. For instance, in the Spanish monarchy between 1850 and 1910, wet nurses were carefully selected through medical and moral examinations, becoming an engine for infant health. Similarly, in the Mughal court of the 1500s, imperial wet nurses were honored figures integrated into the household.
However, the system often relied on deep inequality. In 18th-century Paris, the demand for wet nurses was so high that nearly 90% of infants were sent away to be nursed by women who were often poorer than their own parents. In the United Kingdom, up to 80% of infants sent away to wet nurses in the 19th century died during infancy. Employers frequently viewed the wet nurse as a commodity, sometimes separating mothers from their own children without regard for the biological infant's survival.
The practice was also deeply intertwined with systemic exploitation, particularly in the Americas. Enslaved women were often forced to serve as wet nurses for their enslavers' children, sometimes while their own infants were neglected or sold. By the late 19th century, medical discourse began to shift, with some researchers blaming wet nurses for infant mortality and moral decay, though these claims often lacked scientific proof. Eventually, the rise of formula and changing social norms led to the decline of the profession, though it remains a complex chapter in the history of human care.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Wet nurse
- Also: Woman, Mother, Wet Nurse: Engine of Child Health Promotion in the Spanish Monarchy (1850-1910).
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