Since the birth of the first baby, breastfeeding has been the natural, nutritious choice of mothers for their babies. No other food has ever been found that matches the nutritional quality present in nature’s perfect food for the infant. But what happened if for some reason the mother wasn’t able to nurse her child or didn’t produce enough milk?

In ancient times a wet nurse, a lactating woman who would be willing to nurse the child was found. This was good, but not the best. Royalty would often use wet nurses to feed the royal children. If a wet nurse wasn’t available, the child would be fed milk from an animal or a mixture of flour, rice and water which was called “pap”.

Wet nurses can still be hired today. I did a search on wet nurses and found that it is a profession on certifiedhouseholdstaffing.com.

A mother’s milk is specially produced for her own child. Milk from another woman may not have the special antibodies that would be present in the mother's milk.

Usually a child was fed from the breast for 1 year to 1 ½ years, or until the mother menstrual cycles returned. In the early 1900s, most infants were still breastfed up to 1 year of age or longer. As more and more women began to work outside the home, an alternate way to feed their children had to be found.

The first attempt to imitate breast milk was made as early as the 1860s in Switzerland. Henri Nestle made a successful milk formula based on cow milk. He wanted to make something for women who for some reason, such as poor nutrition, were unable to produce a sufficient amount of milk. He was able to test his formula in 1867 by feeding this formula to a premature baby boy whose mother was dangerously ill. When the boy survived, his formula became successful.

Formula is good and will satisfy the nutritional needs of the child, but breast milk is still the best. Not only does the baby benefit from drinking his mother’s milk, the mother receives benefits as well.

If unable to nurse because of work, an alternative is to pump your breast milk out for the baby to take out of a bottle. This way the child still receives the nutritional benefits of your milk, even when you are not present.

Mother’s milk kicks a baby’s immune system into action. He is less likely to develop allergies or eczema. He will also be protected from diarrhea, constipation or any type of infection. Breast milk will contribute to the health of your baby.

Most importantly, breast feeding is a time of bonding between mother and child. Absolutely nothing can replace the strong emotions felt when your child is nursing at your breast. My own children were breastfed. I nursed my daughter until her first birthday. She would have nursed longer if I would have allowed it. My son nursed until he was 6 months old, then he began to drink from a cup. I would not trade the time I spent nursing either of them.

Besides bonding with her child, the mother receives many other benefits from nursing. Up to 500 calories a day are burned by breastfeeding. A nursing mother is less likely to suffer from postpartum depression and her chances of developing ovarian cancer, breast cancer and hip fractures are lowered.

Weight loss is encouraged by nursing and the uterus shrinks back to its normal size faster. The time of postpartum bleeding is decreased and return to menstrual bleeding is delayed. This is great news for any woman.

Best of all, breast milk is free. It costs absolutely nothing. There is no need to sterilize the bottle and nipple or warm it up, no need to prepare the formula; this easily digestible milk is pre-mixed and already the perfect temperature.