The practice of employing a wet nurse was particularly widespread among the nobility and the wealthy. For the elite, breastfeeding by a mother was often considered inconvenient and a task beneath their status. Wet nurses, typically women from lower social classes, were employed to care for infants, ensuring that the babies received nourishment without the need for their mothers to take on the physically demanding and time-consuming task.
The wet nurse was not just a figure of necessity; she was an essential figure in the medieval family structure. The relationship between a wet nurse and her charge could be seen as a complex one. In many ways, the wet nurse represented an alternate form of motherly love. A mother’s love for her child could be distant, formal, and even political, while a wet nurse’s love was more immediate, physical, and intimate. Wet nurses were expected to bond with their charges, even though this bond was often viewed as secondary to the mother’s biological connection to the child.
Religious Views on Breastfeeding
Religion played a significant role in shaping medieval views on breastfeeding. Christian teachings emphasized the importance of motherhood and the natural bond between mother and child. Saint Augustine, for example, praised breastfeeding as a sign of a mother’s duty and love. Religious iconography often depicted the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the infant Jesus, which reinforced the concept of breastfeeding as a holy, loving act.
Breastfeeding was also seen as a form of humility. In the medieval period, humility was a key virtue, and mothers who breastfed their children were often revered for their devotion. The act was not just about nourishing the child; it was seen as a form of sacrificial love, a maternal offering to ensure the child’s survival and health. shutdown123