I am pretty far behind in reading my Lactnet posts, and I know others have
already addressed the request for information about the Talmud's discussion
of nursing.  But since I looked it up and wrote it out, I'll send it on.
There are a few points others didn't touch on.

There is a lengthy discussion among the rabbis regarding nursing that is
recorded in the Talmud.  You can find this commentary in English in "The
Talmud: the Steinsaltz Edition." (Volume X, Tractate Ketubot, Part IV.)
New York: Random House, 1994.  pp. 276 -295.  Differing opinions are given
by the various rabbis on many points.  These discussions, I think, took
place around the 2nd and 3rd centuries.  The guidelines that emerged
contained the following ideas:

Among a wife's obligations toward her husband was the duty to nurse the
infant child born of the marriage.

If a married woman vowed not to nurse her infant child, her husband might
compel her to nurse until the child reached the age of 2. [Remember, there
were no bottles of safe alternative feedings in those days].

If the husband and wife got divorced, the husband could not compel the wife
to nurse the child.  If she was willing, he had to pay her the wage of a
wet nurse.  If she was not willing to nurse, she had to hand the child over
to the father and he had to arrange for a wet nurse.  But if the child
recognized the mother and would not nurse from anyone else, she would have
to continue to nurse until the child's second birthday. During this time
she would be paid as a wet nurse, so that the infant was not endangered.

A nursing infant who recognized his mother could not be separated from her,
even if he was blind.  It was felt that a blind child could recognize his
mother by her smell and the taste of her milk.

The rabbis discussed at what age an infant recognizes his mother (anywhere
from 30 days to 3 months, according to his own intelligence and personal
growth and  development.)  Each child must be assessed on an individual
basis and responded to appropriately according to his needs.

A sturdy child could continue to nurse until he was four years old, and a
sickly child until he was five.

If a child was weaned before his second birthday, his mother could resume
nursing him even if he hadn't nursed for an extended period of time.  But
if he weaned after the age of two, and had not nursed for 3 days, he may
not nurse again later.  This applied only if he was healthy when he stopped
nursing.  If he was ill, he could resume nursing again.  [Nursing strikes
were thus recognized as different from being truly done with nursing.]

If a nursing mother was widowed, she could not remarry before the nursing
child was two years old.  If a nursing mother remarried before that time
and became pregnant, her milk might be reduced and she might be forced to
wean her child.  The new husband might also resent the child, so this
ruling was to protect a child in this situation.

While a woman was nursing, her husband had to provide her with foods
beneficial to her milk.

A wet nurse that had been hired to nurse an infant could not nurse another
infant along with him, even her own infant, for it might jeopardize the
welfare of the infant she had been hired to nurse.  The wet nurse had to
eat well, and not eat things that were bad for her milk.  Examples of such
harmful foods were hops, young blades of grass, small fish, earth, a gourd
or an unripe date.  These were thought to reduce milk supply or cause the
milk to be "turbid."

If a woman said she wanted to nurse her child and her husband wanted her to
use a wet nurse, the woman was to be allowed to nurse her baby herself.  If
the woman was not allowed to nurse she would suffer either physically or
emotionally, and the husband had no right to cause her such suffering.
There's also discussion of what happened if the husband wanted her to nurse
but she didn't.

Makes for fascinating reading.  They seemed to know many wise things we are
just trying to relearn today.  I hope I have summarized these discussions
correctly.  Perhaps others more knowledgeable could also comment.

Anne Altshuler, RN, MS, IBCLC and LLL leader in Madison, WI
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