The Puritans on Breastfeeding
By Contributing Writer, Molly Evert
Our secular history books have falsely taught us that the Puritans were dour faced, uptight, prudish people. Far from “uptight,” our Puritan forefathers actually preached with candor on topics most present day ministers would blanch at.
Puritan pastor William Gouge, writing in the 1600s, included 7 pages about breastfeeding in his treatise on Domestical Duties (this topic starts on page 79).
Gouge on Breastfeeding
Of giving suck to children
Among other needful things, the milk of the breast is fit for young babes, and with it they are to be nourished. I think none doubt of the equity of this. It hath in all ages, and in all countries, been accounted the best food that can be for young babes.
The metaphor which Peter uses… [As new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word (1 Peter 2:2)] confirms as much.
So doth also the desire which such infants have to the milk of the breasts: and the ability, and promptness which is in them to suck: and God’s providence in causing a woman’s breasts to yield forth such milk: and the constant manner of nourishing little infants after this manner, commended in the Scripture: and [to conclude]the natural instinct which many unreasonable creatures have thus to nourish their young ones.
Gouge concludes this section by noting that those who attempt alternative feeding methods “where no urgent necessity requires” it are rejecting “that means which God hath ordained as the best: and so oppose their shallow wit to His unsearchable wisdom.”
Gouge taught breast feeding is a blessing, according to the following proofs:
1. In the blessing given to Joseph thus spoke old Jacob, God shall bless thee with the blessing of the breasts, and of the womb (Gen 49:25). By the blessing of the womb, what can be meant, but children? By the blessing of the breasts, what, but milk, whereby those children are nourished?
2. It is denounced as a curse, that women shall have a barren womb and dry breasts (Hosea 9:14). If it be a curse for women to have dry breasts, then may not women wittingly make them dry: which all mothers do, that give not suck to their children.
3. Manoah’s wife being promised to bear a son, had this charge given her: Drink no wine, nor strong drink, as those things were especially hurtful for her milk. It is therefore implied thereby, that she should so order her diet, as she might well nurse her child, and have good milk for him.
4. God by his good providence brought it to pass, that the mother of Moses (Exo 2:7) [though she were forced to cast out her child] should nurse her own child. Yea the mother herself was desirous to do it, and therefore appointed her daughter to watch who should take it up. These two circumstances imply that it appertains to a mother to nurse her children.
5. The Apostle lays this down as a note of a good woman, who in her place hath been careful to do her duty, and thereupon fit to do service in God’s Church [If she have nourished her children, or word for word, If she have fed her children] (1 Tim 5:10). Now the proper food for young babes is breast milk, which, by the Apostle’s rule, the mother must give.
6. The same Apostle commands mothers to love their children (Titus 2:4). How can a mother better express her love to her young babe, than by letting it suck of her own breasts? As this is a testimony of love, so it is a means of preferring and increasing love.
Gouge says the sum of this teaching shows “the duty in question to be very strongly enforced thereby”:
1. As a blessing it is promised, that mothers shall give suck to the children that they bear.
2. As a curse it is threatened, that women shall not be able to give suck.
3. An Angel gave direction to a mother so to carry herself as she might have store of good milk for the child which she should bear.
4. God by his special providence manifested that the proper mother was the best nurse for a child.
5. It is the note of a good woman to perform this part of her particular calling, namely to nurse her own child.
6. Women ought to do all the best duties of love that they can to their children.
Therefore mothers ought to nurse their own children.
Gouge doesn’t touch on situations where a woman–or child–might be physically unable to nurse. Our family is pursuing the adoption of a one year old baby who was born with cleft lip and palate; nursing her would have been incredibly challenging even if I had given birth to her, but with her at one year of age—and me, an adoptive mother—it will be nigh on impossible. There are situations in which breast may not be best.
On the other hand, I found it almost impossible to nurse my last baby, due to medical complications after her birth. I spent the first month of her life working nearly round the clock on nursing, supplementing, and pumping in order to be able to breastfeed.
It was tough, especially with four other children to care for. It was hard to stay committed to pumping in the wee hours after weeks of very little sleep. There were many times I wanted to give up, and I had to cry out to God for help again and again.
I praise God that He gave me the strength to persevere and eventually I was able to nurse her easily, just as I had my other children. It was a hard won blessing, and I appreciated it even more because of all it had cost.
Many in our day counsel young mothers not to bother with it, but our Puritan forebears offered us inspiration and encouragement in this womanly task. I join my voice with theirs in counseling young mothers to take advantage of all the resources we have today to aid in breastfeeding if they find themselves struggling.
When my milk wouldn’t come in, I made use of herbal remedies, a rented hospital-grade pump, and my local lactation consultants who met with me frequently throughout that ordeal. Eventually I had to resort to prescription medication to get my milk to come in; before that, I didn’t even know such things existed!
Breastfeeding can be challenging, but I would encourage every new mother to give it her best shot. The opportunity to breastfeed your baby is something truly worth fighting for.
Tags: babies, breastfeeding, motherhood, puritans
Beautiful. Thank you for this post!
Holly recently posted…To Abigail on Her First Birthday
Wow! I had no idea the Puritans had anything to say about this! They make an excellent case, as usual. Thank you for sharing!
Jacinda recently posted…Bacon-Cheese Topped Chicken
I too, did everything you did, when my milk did not come in after my first son was born. Herbs, Teas, Hospital Grade Pumping, SNS Device while feeding him formula after nursing so he could continue nursing and hopefully stimulate me more, Medication, I even had my placenta encapsulated with my 2nd son in hopes it’d help me produce more milk, then there was the begging and pleading with God… and nothing ever helped. I sought out 7 lactation consultants over the years (I have 4 children) and they all agree that I have underdeveloped milk glands and very few ones at that.
As does my sister, who tried the same things as I did and it never did come in with all 3 of her kids.
I guess I am cursed in the minds of the Puritans, shucks. I usually look at it like the world is cursed and fallen and me and my sister deal with the effects of that curse… nature being messed up and not working perfectly for every single person. Like the Puritans said it’s part of a woman’s calling, I used to feel so inadequate as a woman because of my inability to nurse (let alone birth my children without them almost dying), but God has walked me through that lie. This world is just fallen and there are consequences because of it. I’m so thankful He placed me in this day and age where there are alternatives when nature doesn’t work!
That all being said, I’m glad I tried everything… it puts my own selfish mind at ease knowing I gave it my all. But I do not judge those who do not want to try all that. If anything, my natural flaws have humbled me and showed me that different things work for different families and there is a lot that goes on in people’s lives we have no idea about.
Good luck on your adoption process!
raisingcropsandbabies recently posted…These Days Make It Worth It
What a great testimony and a great outlook. God bless!
I know and experienced fully everything you wrote (just replace 4 children with 5, soon to be 6, and having never done anything with the placenta). I too used to feel like inadequate, like less of a mom, for being unable to nurse my children beyond about 2 months, even though I tried everything available to me, including countless weeks of hourly feedings/pumpings, for each child. Thank you for sharing your story, in a world where it seems to be quite the anomaly to be unable to breastfeed, it is comforting to know that there are others like me who want to, and try very hard, and pray, but God still doesn’t allow it.
With this next baby, I plan again to try to nurse, but if (and likely when) my body stops cooperating, usually a bit before 2 months, I will just be thankful, as you said, that there are alternatives and my baby won’t starve. Thank you again for sharing your perspective!
And Molly, thank you for the interesting article! I never would have guessed either that the Puritans could be so upfront on matters most churches in our modern day would not address!
Just an encouragement………..our midwife nursed her adopted baby
AND….it is actually profitable for a child w/cleft palate to nurse. When they nurse it “providentially” seals off all other openings than the throat where the nipple is pulled down into. I learned this when I was a bfing counsellor. I also learned that if said child has surgery to correct the cleft it is best for them to nurse as quickly as possible after the surgery
All of this is different as your baby is already a year old and probably will spend a limited time needing only milk.
AND………one easy trick for helping milk to come in more is to eat oatmeal. Why this works I have no idea, just know it does! My friend had twins and was constantly worried about having enough milk, my midwife told me to tell her to eat oatmeal. She nursed those babies til they were almost 2!
Wow, Melissa, that is awesome! I would love to try!!
Molly Evert recently posted…The Power of Appreciative Words
Thanks for posting this. I love the Puritans who always asked first what God has to say on matters and then asked how this should affect my life. A great read.
Jeannette recently posted…Education on the frontier.
I think where our culture would find the Puritans to be prudes would be in the fact that they didn’t view breasts as sexual objects at all, not that they saw those sexual objects and somehow hardened themselves against the lust they naturally inspire in our age.
They were prudes, alright. Prudent about breastfeeding.
It was feminism that made breastfeeding dirty, not by being prudish, but by so separating women from the function of their wombs and breasts (in order to make them more like men) that children became a side effect of sex, and breasts became sexual objects, lacking very many children to nourish. One hundred years ago, having sexual feelings about breasts was as odd a thing as a foot fetish–or so I’ve read. It certainly makes sense, given the willingness of nursing mothers in stuffy old Victorian times to be daguerreotyped with a nursling attached to her bare breast.
Feminism’s promotion of birth control, which separated womanhood from motherhood was, ironically, the means of objectification of women’s bodies. Without a full understanding of what a woman’s body does naturally, women became little more than receptacles for whatever desires men would like to impose upon them.
Cindy recently posted…The Well-Planned Day (Giveaway)
Here are a couple of Bible verses about the breast that sound pretty erotic to me! (I think the breasts serve a dual function – BOTH good in the sight of God unless corrupted by sin.) The breasts represent fullness, fruitfulness, comfort, consolation, blessing, etc.
Song of Solomon 7:7-8
Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples,
Proverbs 5:19
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.
Natalie Klejwa recently posted…Baby-Led Weaning: A Simple Approach to Solid Food Introduction
Cindy, I enjoyed your insight here.
My husband agreed that in Victorian times they were prudent about breastfeeding and probably never exposed themselves unless absolutely necessary. (I got really excited about Puritans discussing this topic and shared it with him too!) 
This is a great read. I have been blessed to be able to nurse without any issues so far and hope to nurse my next baby on the way. The following is slightly off-topic, but I would be interested in hearing your (or other commenters) thoughts.
I have formerly done research regarding the Puritans’ view of breastfeeding, specifically how they breast-fed during their particularly long church meetings and other public events, but have not been successful in learning any information. Since they honored God with modesty in dress, I have wondered if the women left the view of the men to nurse their babies, or, if they just discretely nursed while very well covered during their church meetings. In your research of the Puritans’ view of breastfeeding, have you come across any information regarding this?
I personally prefer to nurse in private, but when needed, I am comfortable nursing (while very well covered) in public places too (i.e. on an airplane, in a restaurant, or other places where complete privacy is often impossible save sitting on a toilet seat to feed my baby). While feministic breastfeeding circles all too often exalt the idea that, “Breastfeeding is natural, breasts and nudity are natural, therefore I will expose my body in public breastfeeding just for the sake of reminding everyone how natural this is”, I often question the other extreme sometimes present in our conservative Christian circles where it seems it is considered immodest to nurse in the presence of mixed company, even when very well covered without the slightest chance of showing any more of the chest area than when not nursing at all. I wonder if this hesitancy is due to the over-sexualization of breasts in our present culture and wish that I was more aware of how others in previous generations where modesty was much more common – specifically the Puritans – dealt with this. Any insight would be appreciated!
One of the reasons Gouge lists, why a woman (wrongly) might prefer not to nurse is:
“Others [refuse to nurse] for niceness, because they are loath to open their breasts, or to soil their clothes.” (page 84 #15)
Ivy, you asked about how the Puritans maintained privacy, or whether they did…I haven’t found the answer to that yet (but will post here if I do!) but this quote from Gouge makes it appear as if some women put their modesty forth as a reason for NOT breastfeeeding (“they are loath to open their breasts”) yet he decries that, indicating that is not a valid reason to refrain from nursing. You raise an interesting question!
Also, you may find this interesting: in Gouge’s day there was no question as to whether a woman should nurse or bottle feed; those who did not nurse their babies hired “wet nurses” to do it for them, and a large part of his commentary (linked in the above post if you want to do more research) pertains to why a woman should nurse her own baby as opposed to hiring someone else to do it. Thanks for posing this interesting question, I am curious now, too!
Molly Evert recently posted…The Power of Appreciative Words
I didn’t say they weren’t pretty or attractive, Natalie. I’m sure there’s some stuff in there about her awesome hair and shoulders, too. We don’t get the vapors over using those things, either.
Cindy recently posted…The Well-Planned Day (Giveaway)
LOL Cindy! You always crack me up. So here’s one back atcha…Most of the Christian community is comfortable with letting our hair and shoulders show without any issues—and not just when we’re nursing. Are you taking that a step further? In other words, are you OK with topless beaches? Or only when a baby is attached to one of ‘em…? C’mon Cindy. Sock it to me.
Nursing is such a personal thing. I was able to do it for two of my children, but it was a nightmare with my other two. It was very frustrating because I had some women in my life who kept trying to tell me not to give it up, and that I wasn’t depending on God for strength. As a young mom I was guilt ridden when I finally gave up. If I could go back, I wouldn’t pay any attention to those other Wemmicks
The two that I nursed actually ended up having more health issues than the two that ended up on formula. I guess I am not really sure how it is anyone’s business unless directly asked for advice. And, shouldn’t we be quietly going to God first? I hope I am not sounding rude, I certainly don’t mean to be! I just think with an issue like this, everyone is going to have a different opinion, and God’s is the only one that matters.
I’m sorry it was so difficult with two of your children, Marybeth. As I noted in another comment on this thread, Gouge said a woman should try, and make use of available means, but that God doesn’t require us to do something that is impossible, and that she should only do it insofar as she is able to.
If you read his commentary (linked above in the post) I think you’ll see he wasn’t piling on those who couldn’t nurse (whether a problem with the mother or with the child, he mentions both). His primary concern (in this small section of a two volume work on all manner of subjects relating to home and family) was women who chose not to nurse for reasons of their own, such as not wanting their own sleep (or their husband’s sleep) to be disturbed, or not wanting to age more quickly, or to have more freedom for their own pursuits, etc. The issue of what is healthiest for the child was not addressed, except where the mother’s milk was the direct cause of a child’s health issues, for in his day women hired a wet nurse as a substitute, as formula wasn’t available.
I believe that he probably felt free to preach and write on the whole counsel of God, just as any other good pastor does. Our American individualism tells us that we can make all our decisions alone with God. God’s opinion is the one that matters, as you say, and in his 7 pages on this topic, he attempts to expound on what he believed to be God’s opinion, based on many scripture references and biblical principles.
In 21st century America it is common to pray about God’s will until we feel a sense of “peace” and then to just go with that peaceful feeling rather than searching the revealed Will of God in Scripture for our answers. We also may tend to think the scriptures have nothing to say about a “personal matter” such as breastfeeding, but Gouge would have begged to differ and he endeavors to give the references to back up his position. We should go “quietly to God” first, but for matters of Christian living that should mean primarily looking in His word. God’s will is expressed most clearly in the Bible.
There are plenty of matters the Bible doesn’t speak directly to, but in those instances principles may still be gleaned. I think Gouge was approaching this from the perspective of how, in his view, the Word of God bears on the issue of breastfeeding. One can disagree with his conclusions, but I think his approach is sound.
Molly Evert recently posted…The Power of Appreciative Words
Molly,
Thank you for your polite, yet peripheral, chastisement. Apparently you didn’t read my post very clearly. I did read the commentary, and I believe I would agree with almost everything that Gouge says. I am a firm believer in breastfeeding, which is why I did with two children, and attempted with the other two. I never said that scripture has nothing to do with some ‘personal matters’ as you have implied that I did. My point about it being a personal matter was in reference to other women. I think certain ‘Christian’ women today feel it is their place to direct other women in areas that are none of their business. That is also what I meant by going to God quietly.
You made the comment that women today pray until they feel ‘peace’ and then go with that feeling instead of searching the revealed will of God. Do you not see how insolent that is of you? There is no one out there who could possibly know another woman’s circumstances, much less her private personal relationship with God. Both you and Gouge need to remember that if a woman chooses not to nurse so she can get her sleep, or because she doesn’t want to age quickly ( I have never heard that one before), or for any other reason, it isn’t your place to criticize, judge, or chastise her. You have no idea what her personal circumstances are. It is not your place, unless you are specifically asked by that particular woman for advice.
You made this statement, “Our American individualism tells us that we can make all our decisions alone with God.” Are you implying that we can’t? We most certainly can, and most often should. Other people often do nothing more than interfere with the work of God. I have to say I am quite disturbed by that.
I realize this is a blog, and the purpose of a blog is to publicize one’s opinions. However, we are all held accountable to God for all that we say. I just think you should be more vigilant in not crossing that line over to judging rather than simply informing and stating what has worked for you.
I think Molly would (WILL) be mortified to read that you view her comment as insolent, judgmental, critical, and a chastisement and judgement toward women who can’t nurse. I can assure you she was not looking to disturb you or anyone else reading this blog. Molly loves the Lord and she loves women. I think we can safely assume that her hope was to encourage women.
I’m sorry if you took this personally as a slam against either yourself or someone you know who has been unable to nurse or chosen not to nurse. Since I truly do tend to be a selfish, prideful person who likes to make my own decisions apart from God, I have often needed other Christian women to admonish me in different areas. Molly is one of those special friends, and I’m grateful for her input in my own life and the time she takes out of her busy schedule to give of herself to others on this blog as well as her own blog. I sincerely hope and trust that you will be able to reread her comment with a generous heart and recognize the care and gentleness behind it.
Thanks for doing the research on this! I am glad to see you encouraging moms to breastfeed, or at least give it their best shot. My first 3 kiddos were easy to b.feed. The 4th was hard, the 5th was similar to your situation… He became failure to thrive because he was not latching properly. I fought hard- with a lactation consultant, and prayed hard too. I consider it a blessing that it all worked out eventually At the same time, I understand that we live in a fallen world and our bodies don’t always work as they should. Bottle feeding can be done with love. … and I think it should be done without guilt when a mom has already done her best.
Gouge wrote 7 pages about breastfeeding, and I couldn’t possibly touch on all that he said in this short post. But for those who have struggled, please be encouraged knowing that (in Gouge’s words) “God requireth no impossibilities…wherefore in propounding the duty I put in this caution SO FAR AS THEY ARE ABLE.” (and he lists several physical reasons why a mother or child may be unable to nurse)
http://www.chapellibrary.org/files/archive/pdf-other/otddu2.pdf page 83, # 11
He does say in that same section, though, that there are means available to help a woman nurse (even mentioning conditions such as inverted nipples!) and that a woman shouldn’t give up without first making use of means.
Molly Evert recently posted…The Power of Appreciative Words