Did you know?
White Blood: A History of Human Milk
1. Human milk is for babies; cow’s milk is for calves.
2. Milk used to be seen as mother’s blood. In the ancient and medieval worlds it was thought that blood formed and fed the embryo in the womb before it was diverted to the breasts at birth where it became milk.
3. Not being breastfed in the past could be a death sentence. Throughout history breastmilk has played a critical role in the early fortunes of millions of babies. Until the twentieth century, deprivation of human milk to the newborn could be fatal: one in four children died in infancy, of infections and malnutrition.
4. Wet nurses were employed in the past by mothers who could not, or chose not to, nurse their young. If they were not available or effective, babies were fed on the milks of other animals – often cows, goats, sheep or asses – or on all sorts of home-made alternatives. Safe, clean, sterile, nutritionally balanced synthetic substitutes to human milk have been available only since the start of the last century.
5. Breast is Best. Human milk is the best food for human babies and provides everything they need in the right amounts for the first six months of life. Modern research shows that its composition changes in vital ways at different times during breastfeeding to meet the changing nutritional demands of the baby. Bottle-fed babies do not enjoy these advantages.
6. The last century saw huge improvements in the health of mothers and babies. The mortality rates of babies have been declining steadily, from 15 per cent or more in 1900 to well below 1 per cent now. Research shows that this is in large part because of improvements in how babies have been fed. Several generations of children have been successfully reared wholly on the modified milk of another mammal, generally the cow.
7. Human milk is more than just food. It strengthens the immature immune system of babies, protects them from infections, helps them to adapt to life outside the womb and to grow and develop optimally. Breastfeeding helps mother to get back to her normal weight quickly and to space out her pregnacies.
RELATED: What does it mean to dream about milk?
It is common for pregnant women to dream about milk as this is a baby's first food. A milk dream is believed to represent selflessness, motherhood and love. If you were giving somoene milk, then you may think a lot about this person and feel the need to protect them. If you dream of sour milk, it’s possible someone in your waking life has put a dampner on things lately and you feel deflated. Are you the one who is trying to sour something for someone else? If so, is it worth the energy? Are you putting a great deal of effort into something that you know won’t succeed? Something that has already gone bad?...
