Breastfeeding is the future and the past, says RCM

The RCM has drawn on near and ancient history to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 August).

An article by RCM professional policy advisor Janet Fyle to mark the week charts what is known of breastfeeding from archaeological finds dating back to 4000BC, to the societal changes that led to the practice of wet nursing in the eighteenth century and the introduction of artificial feeding in the next century.

It goes on to examine how the hospitalisation of birth and growing availability of formula led to the majority of infants being bottle fed by the mid twentieth century, until, that is, it became linked to high infant mortality rates in the developing world, and its merits began to be questioned by the general public.

Janet concludes that ‘breastfeeding is a complex physiological process, shaped by environment, culture, economics and politics’. This in turn has led many experts in the field to conclude that ‘the drive to better understand the process of breastfeeding must persist in order to ensure the health and wellbeing of future generations’.