Here's a two cents that not everyone will like.

Stop and think about who chose not to breastfeed:  women of high social
standing.  If your world is predicated on moving in high circles, being
visible, being active, your world is restricted by breastfeeding.  I'm
sorry if folks disagree with that, but it's true.  A breastfeeding woman
is tied to her child.  Not every woman, then or today, necessarily wants
that.  Children of society were not raised by their parents but by their
wet-nurses, nursery nurses and nannies, with the parents only
overseeing.  Their parents carried on their lives without rug rats.  And
why not?  Most of them died before age 5.  Best not to get too attached.

Try not to drag in too much about procreation.  Science and the church
knew that men were essential for babies (a change from the days when
only women were thought essential).  The received "scientific" position,
at one point,  was that the man planted the seed of the soul, in the
woman, which only provided the "clay". Milk was blood "cooked" in the
breast.  The idea that lactating might inhibit conception may not have
been very evident (except to women who actually did it and noted that
menses were deferred -- keep that a secret!).  Ovulation was an idea
that came much later.

There is quite a nice review of women and medicine here:
http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga/herbs/WomenMed.html

If such misinformation seems unlikely, know that one of very traditional
religious communities in this area, we encounter not a few, but many
people who have no clue that there is a connection between having sex
and having babies.  

Judith

Judith Hayman, RN, IBCLC, BSc, BScN
[log in to unmask]

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html