Lessons From the Past: A Brief History of the Influence of Social, Economic, and Scientific Factors on Infant Feeding

Dangerous Things We Used to Do in Neonatology

Neonatology has been a rapidly growing specialty, starting in the early 1900s with premature infants displayed in incubator shows, to today with complex disease processes treated in state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care units. Along the way evolving knowledge, medications, and technology provided opportunities to learn from mistakes and misguided treatments. The ability to learn from past mistakes improves our care now and illustrates the need for humility and vigilance in everything we do. This article explores errors made in the past as we look forward to the future.

Historical Antecedents of Breastfeeding for African American Women: from the Pre-Colonial Period to the Mid-Twentieth Century

INTRODUCTION

African American women have much lower breastfeeding rates than other racial and ethnic groups in the USA. While researchers are beginning to explore contemporary factors contributing to this inequality, much less research has been devoted to the historical conditions that have contributed to these disparities.

AIM

The aim of this paper was to describe the social, economic, and political factors that have influenced African American breastfeeding behavior in the USA from the colonial era through the mid-twentieth century.

METHODS

A thematic analysis was conducted across multiple databases and sources. A social history framework, which focuses on the experiences of ordinary people and events, was used to identify and integrate themes found within the reviewed literature.

RESULTS

Three themes emerged: (1) Labor forces and other socio-cultural factors affected feeding practices and communal caregiving; (2) history of supplementation; and (3) influence of medicalization of birth and mobility on infant feeding in the twentieth century. These themes illustrate how African American women's ability to breastfeed has been significantly constrained throughout the U.S.

HISTORY

Supplementation with non-human milk substitutes and communal caregiving helped African American women navigate infant rearing under adverse socioeconomic circumstances.

CONCLUSIONS

Social, political, and economic factors have contributed significantly to African American women's ability to breastfeed throughout the U.S.

HISTORY

Understanding the influences of historical antecedents on breastfeeding decisions over time may be key to finding effective interventions that might increase breastfeeding rates within this population.

Breastfeeding or bottled milk? Poverty and feeding choices in the native and immigrant population in Belgium

In many European countries, mothers in poverty show a preference for bottled milk over breastfeeding. What remains unknown is whether the impact of poverty on feeding choices differs between immigrants and natives. We first assessed whether being born into poverty indicates a higher chance of being bottle-fed, then evaluated whether region of origin of the mother moderates the impact of poverty on feeding choice. Based on population data from nearly all newborns in Belgium in 2004 (N = 34,314), we performed several binary logistic analyses to answer these research questions. Analyses showed a strong difference in feeding choices between native and migrant mothers in poverty: for Belgian mothers, the choice to breastfeed significantly decreased; no such effect was observed for migrant women. Southern European mothers living in poverty have an even higher chance of breastfeeding than those who are better off. We suggest possible explanations and set a direction for future research regarding breastfeeding choices for migrant mothers.

Breastfeeding in America: a history of influencing factors

The author explores the history of breastfeeding in America. Popular belief is that medicine, science, and the formula industry have had the most impact on women's decisions to bottle versus breastfeed. What cannot be overlooked are other areas of influence. Cultural practices, including the beliefs of colonial Americans, the increased social value of children in the 20th century, and the emergence of a middle class, have influenced maternal decision making. The first and second waves of feminism affected women's choices. Politics and religion have had multiple and varied influences. It is this author's position that culture, gender, politics, and religion, as well as medicine, science, and industry, have combined to affect feeding choices. All of these influences, as well as others, both unforeseen and unpredictable, will continue to affect the future of breastfeeding in our society.