Wet Nurses

[ami]

I was wondering if wet nurses were used (i asume in the event of mother's death, that yes) but were wet nurses used often? What about the slaves? Were they used as wet nurses? Were they given the time to properly recover from childbirth and nurse their babies?

I really don't know much about this but would like to know more.

 

[Allie]

The only specific thing I can think of is that there is a mention of Varina Davis nursing her baby in Mary Chesnut's diary. Also, Isabella Beeton (which is British, but contemporaneous) talks about the diet of wet nurses. I also vaguely recall some slavery apologists talking sentimentally about mammies nursing babies alongside their own children. Will have to do some looking up.

 

[Allie]

I can't locate the passage I remember about Varina Davis - possibly it's only in the unedited edition and not the searchable one online, or possibly my memory is in error.

I did find this passage which mentions a wet nurse in Mary Chesnut. She seems to think it is a usual thing.

Thursday. - I find I have not spoken of the box-car which held the Preston party that day on their way to York from Richmond. In the party were Mr. and Mrs. Lawson Clay, General and Mrs. Preston and their three daughters, Captain Rodgers, and Mr. Portman, whose father is an English earl, and connected financially and happily with Portman Square. In my American ignorance I may not state Mr. Portman's case plainly. Mr. Portman is, of course, a younger son. Then there was Cellie and her baby and wet-nurse, with no end of servants, male and female. In this ark they slept, ate, and drank, such being the fortune of war. We were there but a short time, but Mr. Portman, during that brief visit of ours, was said to have eaten three luncheons, and the number of his drinks, toddies, so called, were counted, too. Mr. Portman's contribution to the larder had been three small pigs. They were, however, run over by the train, and made sausage meat of unduly and before their time.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

I was wondering if wet nurses were used (i asume in the event of mother's death, that yes) but were wet nurses used often? What about the slaves? Were they used as wet nurses? Were they given the time to properly recover from childbirth and nurse their babies?

I really don't know much about this but would like to know more.

Hi Ami- Yes they were, frequently enslaved women were used. I probably cannot post the photos here but have photos of black women nursing babies who are not their own, described as wet nurses. As Allie said, seems to have been the usual ' thing ' A woman only needed to have had her own child to become a wet nurse- she could then continue to nurse, heck, for years if the demand was there. Ouch.

 

[FarawayFriend]

We had a thread already on this subject:

http://civilwartalk.com/threads/startling-photograph-of-a-mammy.95188/