Before breastmilk was the norm (or when it wasn't available), babies were fed animal milk (cow, goat, sheep) often mixed with grains like flour/water ("pap"), or nursed by wet nurses; prehistoric babies even used animal milk in early bottles, while later, gruels and family foods were adapted as supplements or alternatives. The earliest form of "pre-milk" is colostrum, the nutrient-rich milk produced right after birth, which is crucial before mature milk comes in.
Babies eat colostrum at the very beginning. It is still breast milk, it just has a slightly different balance of protein, fat, vitamins, etc. It is thicker and more yellow in color. Newborns can start nursing literally within minutes after birth and they are eating the colostrum.
Throughout the ages and until the end of the 19th century, animal's milk was the most common source of artificial feeding. As mentioned earlier, pap and panada were used only as supplements to animal's milk when the infant failed to thrive.
Powdered milk was often given to newborns before 3 months of age. After 6 months, most babies ate beans and rice or whatever the family ate. Adult foods were broken into small bits and fed from the mother's hand. Mothers normally chose suitable food from among what the family was eating.
From wet nursing to dry nursing
Before the era of "modern" medicine, breastfeeding was the preferred method of feeding infants, just as it is today. But if a mother's milk supply was inadequate or she chose not to nurse, the family often employed a "wet nurse" to nourish infants.
But until the 20th century, babies who were not breastfed often died. Only rarely could alternative foods meet infants' nutritional needs, leaving many malnourished. In the days before refrigeration, modern food safety, most vaccines, or antibiotics, thousands died of diarrhea brought on by tainted food.
From 1930 through the 1960s, breast-feeding declined and cow's milk and beikost were introduced into the diet at earlier and earlier ages. Although commercially prepared formulas, including iron-fortified formulas replaced home-prepared formulas, few infants were breast-fed or formula fed after 4–6 mo of age.
Prehistoric babies were bottle-fed with animal milk more than 3,000 years ago, according to new evidence. Archaeologists found traces of animal fats inside ancient clay vessels, giving a rare insight into the diets of Bronze and Iron Age infants.
Ancient texts contain a few clues. In Greece, the writings of Aristotle (384-322 BC) include references to babies breastfeeding for 12 to 18 months, or until the parent's menstrual cycle returned. Ancient Hebrew writings, however, commonly describe children as still nursing at 3 years of age.
👑Royal mothers didn't usually breastfeed their children. Breastfeeding was generally viewed with distaste, but on a practical level, it acted as a form of contraception ; for a queen, whose job it was to provide more heirs, breastfeeding simply wasn't a practical option if she wished to conceive again quickly.
The "4-4-4 rule" for breast milk is a simple storage guideline: fresh milk is good for 4 hours at room temperature (up to 77°F/25°C), for 4 days in the refrigerator (39°F/4°C or colder), and up to 4-6 months (or longer) in a standard freezer (0°F/-18°C). It's a handy mnemonic, though some organizations like the CDC recommend up to 6 months in the freezer and the AAP up to 9 months, with deeper freezers offering even longer storage.
Medieval times
Unlike a poor woman, a wealthy medieval mother didn't have to worry about breastfeeding – her wet nurse did it for her. Weaning could take place at any time from one to three years of age.
The 5-3-3 rule is a gentle sleep training method for older babies (often around 6 months) to reduce night feedings, suggesting you wait at least 5 hours for the first night feed after bedtime, then 3 hours for the next, and another 3 hours for any subsequent feeds, using other soothing techniques (shushing, patting) for earlier wakings to encourage self-soothing, rather than immediately feeding for comfort. It aims to differentiate hunger from comfort-seeking, but it's a guideline, not a strict mandate, and needs to be adapted to your baby's needs, ensuring they still get enough calories during the day, notes Momcozy and Reddit users.
Studies show that breastfed infants have a lower hospitalization rate and tend to be in better health. This leads to fewer visits to their pediatrician for sicknesses. Breast milk contains everything your baby needs to grow and develop. It provides a unique and specific formula of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
While many pediatricians still recommend a fortified single grain mixed with breastmilk or formula as the first food, followed by pureed vegetables and fruit, there is no medical evidence indicating that solids should be introduced in any specific order.
SIDS is less common after 8 months of age, but parents and caregivers should continue to follow safe sleep practices to reduce the risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death until baby's first birthday. More than 90% of all SIDS deaths occur before 6 months of age.
The first three months with your baby often seem the hardest. Sleep-deprived parents can feel overwhelmed, but that is normal and you will quickly learn how to read your baby's cues and personality. Don't worry about “spoiling” your baby at this stage.
The Japanese have discovered an ingenious way to put your baby to sleep in exactly 13 minutes. If your baby can't fall asleep, the trick is to hold him in your arms for five minutes while walking and then for another eight minutes.
A woman can only act as a wet nurse if she is lactating (producing milk). It was once believed that a wet nurse must have recently undergone childbirth in order to lactate. This is not necessarily the case, as regular breast stimulation can elicit lactation via a neural reflex of prolactin production and secretion.
Benefits of an epidural birth
The biggest benefit of an epidural is undoubtedly pain relief during labor and through delivery. After the 10 to 20 minutes needed for an epidural to take effect, many individuals find that an epidural provides them with an easier, less stressful birth experience.
Coco Austin defended her choice to breastfeed her and husband Ice-T's daughter Chanel, now 9, until she was 6 years old, saying it was an opportunity to bond.
Although she was unable to breastfeed her own children, Marie Antoinette could still encourage other women to practice what Rousseau considered necessary for the foundation of an attractive domestic life. Portrait of a family by Johann Friedrich August Tischbein.
Burial of stillborn babies
Before then, hospitals often took care of funeral arrangements, without the involvement of parents. Babies were sometimes buried in shared graves and many parents were not told what happened to their baby's body.
A numerical rating scale (NRS) of 0–10 was adopted to evaluate maternal pain, with 0 describing no labor pain and 10 describing the most severe labor pain. The higher the score, the more severe the labor pain is.