Change in the Care of Infants

Today in class we discussed how the care of infants has changed throughout history. I think that a lot has changed when it comes to how infants are cared for and viewed. Wet nursing is one topic in particular that we discussed has virtually disappeared in recent decades. In history wet nursing was viewed as a symbol of status. People were considered of higher status if they could have a wet nurse. However, there were still people who opposed to this method, and I agree with these people. One main reason that people in earlier times opposed to wet nursing was because of the higher mortality rate among infants that was a result. I don’t think gaining status is worth putting your child at a greater risk. It is difficult to understand why wet nursing became so popular; it was a different time, and people had vastly different values. Status was high at the top of the list. As science became more involved in the medical profession, the popularity of wet nursing declined. As discussed in class the medical profession began to replace traditional female lore. I think that this change in thinking was a good thing.

            Status is still very important today, but people show it in a different way. Status is shown through things like how early you start to educate your infant. In our groups we discussed how toys for infant development play more of a role than they ever have. Parents are so focused on educating their children from the moment they are born, and in some cases even while they are still in the womb. Things like baby Einstein are focused at educating infants, the idea is that you can never start educating your child to early. Another thing that we discussed in our group was the recent increase in the use of formula or powdered milk as opposed to breast feeding. Mothers now have this choice, a choice that they didn’t have before.  I think that this combined with the increase in the influence of doctors and science is what led to the decrease in wet nursing. Now, when I think of wet nursing, I think that it is a strange and outdated practice. I couldn’t imagine someone hiring a wet nurse these days. Parents are also much more concerned with making a connection with their children as early as possible. They want their children to be the best that they can be, so the idea of sending your child with a wet nurse would not be an appealing idea. These are some of the factors that I can imagine have lead to the decline in wet nursing, and also other changes in the care of infants.