Of Domestical Duties, Treatise 6 · Section 12
§. 12. Of mothers giuing ſucke to their owne children.
Of nouriſhing children with breſt-milke, there is no great queſtion: therefore I hauehave with a touch paſſed it ouer. The chiefeſt queſtion of doubt is concerning the partie who is bound to this dutie; namely, whether the mother be bound to doe it her ſelfe or no.
Many ſtrong arguments there be to preſſe it vponupon the conſciences Poſtquam ablactaueris cam, &c. dixit Hier. ad Laetam de filia ſua.of mothers, and to ſhew that (ſo farre as they are able) they are bound to giuegive ſucke to their owne children. Some are taken from the light of Gods word; and ſome from the light of nature.
Gods word doth in many places by iuſt conſequence imply, that it is a bounden dutie: in other places it doth expreſly commend it by the practiſe of holy women: and againe in other places it taketh it for a granted truth, and ruled caſe, not to be denied.
1. The conſequences whereby the word implieth this dutie are theſe:
1. In the bleſſing giuen to Ioſeph thus ſpeaketh old Iaakob, God ſhall bleſſe thee with the bleſſing of the breaſts, and of the Gen. 49. 25.wombe. By the bleſſing of the wombe, what can be meant, but children? By the bleſſing of the breaſts, what, but milke, whereby thoſe children are nouriſhed? As if he had ſaid; I will bleſſe thee with ſuch women, as ſhall both beare thee children, and alſo giuegive ſucke to them which they beare. The conſequence then is this: As it is a bleſſing to hauehave children of a true lawfull wife; ſo to hauehave thoſe children nurſed of the ſame wife their mother.
Obiect. They hauehave the bleſſing of breaſts that hauehave other women to nurſe their children.
Anſw. By the ſame reaſon it may be ſaid, they hauehave the bleſſing of the wombe who hauehave ſtrange women to beare them children. But the ioyning of theſe two branches of bleſſing together, ſheweth that both muſt be taken in the ſame kinde: ſo that as the bleſſing of the wombe is to hauehave children of a mans wife, ſo the bleſſing of the breaſts is to hauehave them nurſed of his wife. If it be a bleſſing for the woman which beareth the childe to giuegive it ſucke, then mothers are bound to performe this dutie.
2. It is denounced as a curſe, that women ſhall hauehave a barren Oſe. 9. 14.wombe and drie breaſts. If it be a curſe for women to hauehave drie breaſts, then may not women wittingly make them drie: which all mothers doe, that giuegive not ſucke to their children.
3. Manoahs wife being promiſed to beare a ſonne, had this charge giuen her, Drinke no wine, nor ſtrong drinke. &c. thoſe things were eſpecially hurtfull for her milke. It is therefore implied thereby, that ſhe ſhould ſo order her diet, as ſhe might well nurſe her childe, and hauehave good milke for him.
4. God by his good prouidence brought it to paſſe, that the mother of Moſes (though ſhe were forced to caſt out her Exo. 2. 7, &c.childe) ſhould nurſe her owne childe. Yea the mother her ſelfe was deſirous to doe it, and therefore appointed her daughter …o watch who ſhould take it vp. Theſe two circumſtances …mplie that it appertaineth to a mother to nurſe her children.
5. The Apoſtle layeth this downe as a note of a good woman, 1. Tim. 5. 10.who in her place hath beene carefull to doe her dutie, …nd thereupon fit to doe ſeruice in Gods Church (If ſhe hauehave foreign.…ouriſhed her children, or word for word, If ſhe hauehave fed her children.) Now the proper food for young babes is breaſt-milk, which, by the Apoſtles rule, the mother muſt giuegive.
6. The ſame Apoſtle commandeth mothers to louelove their Tit. 2. 4.children. How can a mother better expreſſe her louelove to her …oung babe, then by letting it ſucke of her owne breaſts? As his is a teſtimony of louelove, ſo it is a meanes of preſeruing and increaſing louelove: for daily experience ſheweth that mothers …ue thoſe children beſt to whom they themſelues giuegive ſucke.
Summe theſe ſeuerall conſequences together, and we …all finde the dutie in queſtion to be very ſtrongly inforced hereby.
1. As a bleſſing it is promiſed, that mothers ſhall giuegive ſucke to the children that they beare.
2. As a curſe it is threatned, that women ſhall not be able to giuegive ſucke.
3. An Angell gaue direction to a mother ſo to carrie her ſelfe as ſhe might hauehave ſtore of good milke for the childe which ſhe ſhould beare.
4. God by his ſpeciall prouidence manifeſted that the proper mother was the beſt nurſe for a childe.
5. It is the note of a good woman to performe this part of her particular calling, namely to nurſe her owne childe.
6. Women ought to doe all the beſt duties of louelove that they can to their children.
Therefore mothers ought to nurſe their owne children.
II. Some of the moſt worthy patternes, in whoſe example this dutie is commended to mothers, are theſe.
1. Sarah gaue ſucke to Iſaak. This example is to be noted Gen. 21. 7.eſpecially of the greater ſort: as rich mens wiues, honourable mens wiues, and the like. For Sarah was an honourable woman, a princeſſe, a rich mans wife, a beautifull woman, aged and well growne in yeeres, and a miſtreſſe of a family.
Are not theſe excuſes pretended by many mothers for not nurſing children themſelues?
2. The virgin Mary gaue ſucke to Ieſus. This example is to be noted eſpecially of the meaner ſort, for the virgin Man was young, poore, perſecuted, forced to remoue and flie with her childe from countrie to countrie. Are not theſe excuſes pretended by other mothers?
Theſe two patternes doe not only commend the duty, but alſo ſtrippe all mothers that are negligent therein, of all excuſe.
To theſe may be added the examples of m1 Sam. 1. 22.Annah, of nPſal. 22. 9.Dauids mother, and of many others. What if alſo I adde the example of that true, naturall, affectionate mother who ſtood before Salomons throne to plead for her childe? ſhe thus ſaith of her ſelfe, o1 King. 3. 21.I aroſe to giuegive my ſonne ſucke, &c. If this had not beene a good motherly dutie, ſhe would not then and there hauehave pleaded it.
III. The places of Scripture which take this dutie for a matter granted, and for a ruled caſe, are ſuch as theſe.
1. Where Sarah ſaith, Who would hauehave ſaid to Abram that Gen. 21. 7.Sarah ſhould hauehave giuen children ſucke? In this phraſe ſhe ſetteth forth Gods bleſſing in giuing Abram a ſonne by her. Now in that ſhe expreſſeth the bleſſing vnderunder this phraſe of giuing ſucke, ſhe taketh it for grant, that the mother which beareth children muſt giuegive them ſucke.
2. Where Dauid ſaith, thou diddeſt make me hope vponupon my Pſal. 22. 9.mothers breaſts, he doth not onelyonly imply that his mother gaue him ſucke, but by the phraſe maketh it a ruled caſe that the childe which ſuckes muſt hang vponupon the mothers breaſt.
3. Where Salomon ſaith, O that thou wert as my brother that Cant. 8. 1.ſucked the breaſts of my mother, he taketh if alſo for grant, that brothers and ſiſters, as they come out of the ſame wombe, ſo they ſhould ſucke the ſame breaſts, euen the breaſts of her out of whoſe wombe they came, their owne mothers breaſts.
4. Where the woman ſaid to Chriſt, Bleſſed is the wombe that Luk. 11. 27.bare thee, and the paps which thou haſt ſucked, ſhe taketh it for grant (as it was an vſuall practiſe in thoſe daies) that the …aps of that woman, whoſe wombe beare him, gaue him Ipſa ſuggerit natura matribus ipſis lactandos eſſe ſuos foetus. Idoirco enim animanti enixae lactis alimentum omni praebuit▪ Sapiens verò etiam prouidentia mammas foeminis binas effinxit, &c. Plut. de Juſtit. lib. In ijs animantibus quae lacte aluntur, omnis ferè cibus lacteſcere incipit. Cic. de Nat. D.…ucke.
Theſe arguments we hauehave from the light of Gods word: other we may hauehave from Gods workes and the light of nature, as
1. God hath giuen to women two breaſts fit to containe …nd hold milke: and nipples vntounto them fit to hauehave milke drawne from them. Why are theſe thus giuen? to lay them …rth for oſtentation? There is no warrant for that in all Gods …ord. They are directly giuen for the childs food that commeth out of the wombe; for till the childe be borne, there is …o milke in the breaſts: anon after it is borne, milke ordinari… floweth into the breaſts: yea a great part of the meat which …ey eat turneth into milke. They make this admirable worke …f Gods prouidence to be in vaine, that drie vp this ſpring, …d ſuffer not their children to partake of the benefit of it.
2. That nouriſhment whereon the childe fed in the mo…ers wombe, and whereby it was there ſuſtained, turneth into milke, and commeth into the breaſts when the childe commeth out of the wombe. Whence we may gather, that of all womens milke, that womans milke is fitteſt for the childe, out of whoſe wombe the childe came.
3. Together with the milke paſſeth ſome ſmacke of the Mater Bernardi liberos ſuos alienis vberibus nutriendos committere refugiebat, quaſi cum lacte materno materni quodammodo boni infundens eis naturam. Guil. Abb. de vit. Bern. l. 1. c. 1.affection and diſpoſition of the mother: which maketh mothers to louelove ſuch children beſt as they hauehave giuen ſucke vntounto: yea and oft times ſuch children as hauehave ſucked their mothers breaſts, louelove their mothers beſt: yea we may obſerue many who hauehave ſucked others milke, to louelove thoſe nurſes all the daies of their life.
4. Other things are nouriſhed by the ſame that they are bred. The earth out of which plants grow, miniſtreth nouriſhment to the ſaid plants: trees that bring forth fruit yeeld ſap to that fruit, whereby it groweth to ripeneſſe: vnreaſonable creatures, and among them the moſt ſauage wilde beaſts, as Tigers and Dragons, yea ſea-monſters giuegive ſucke to their young ones; whereupon the Prophet ſaith of women that giuegive not ſucke Lam. 4. 3.to their Children, that they are more cruell then thoſe ſeamonſters, Like the Oſtriches in the wilderneſſe: for the cruell Oſtrich, and the hatefull Cucco are the two kinde of creatures which are noted to leaue their young ones for others to nouriſh; the Oſtrich leaueth her eggs in the duſt: the Cucco leaueth hers in other birds neſts. Other creatures (if nature afford them not milke and dugges, as to birds it doth not) feed their young ones other waies, yet by themſelues.
5. Shall I adde another argument which daily experience confirmeth, namely Gods bleſſing vponupon this motherly dutie: Matres maiore ſtudio & cura nutrient, nempe ex ipſis viſceribus diligunt liberos ſuos. Cum nutrices vtpote quae mercedem ament, charitatem praebeant ſubditiciam. Plut. de Inſtit. lib.commonly ſuch children as are nurſed by their mothers, proſper beſt. Mothers are moſt tender ouer them, and cannot indure to let them lie crying out, without taking them vp. and ſtilling them; as nurſes will let them crie and crie againe, if they be about any buſineſſe of their owne. For who are commonly choſen to be nurſes? euen poore countrie women which hauehave much worke to doe, and little helpe; and ſo are forced to let the childe lie and crie, many times till it burſt againe. Children nurſed by their mothers are for the moſt part more cleanly, and neatly brought vp, freer from diſeaſes; not ſo many die; I am ſure not ſo many through negligence caſt away. The number of nurſe children that die eueryevery yeere is very great. It hath beene obſerued in many countrie villages, that the moſt part, that from time to time die there, are nurſe children. Are not mothers that might hauehave nurſed their owne children if they would, acceſſary to the death of thoſe that are caſt away by the nurſes negligence?
On theſe and other like reaſons heathen women, and very Ariſt. Oecon. l. 2. c. 3. Plutarch. loc. citat. A. Gellius Noct. Attic. comment. li. 12. cap. 1.ſauages, hauehave in all ages beene moued to nurſe their owne children: and ſome heathen Philoſophers hauehave vrged and preſſed the neceſſitie of this dutie. Neuer was it more neglected, then among thoſe that beare the name of Chriſtians.
Let mothers know of what ranke or degree ſo euer they be, that (out of the caſe of neceſſitie) they hauehave no warrant to put forth their children to others to nurſe. We read not in all the Scripture of any holy women that euer did it.