About choosing a wet nurse

Abstract

The author first of all points out the qualities that a good nurse should have. She must not be younger than 20, otherwise she is not experienced enough and not strong enough to feed a baby. In addition, the milk of a woman from 16 to 20 years old contains relatively little water and sugar, and a lot of casein and fat, in composition it is close to cow's milk and is difficult to digest. On the other hand, a nurse should not be older than 35 years, because at this age a woman's milk contains a lot of water and few dense constituents; such milk is not very nutritious. The time of the woman's release from the burden is of great importance. It is best to take a woman as a wet nurse no earlier than 3 months after her birth.