I was stumbling around on a mothering site I troll quite a bit. www.mothering.com(article on the 40s)
I came across this picture and felt so moved by it. I hear from many of my family members and friends of the generation that nursing a child in the 30s & 40s was not widely practiced. By the late 40s it was nearly extinct save for lower income families.
Formula or "hand-feeding" was pushed like an illicit drug. Now I don't know if that is all hear-say or a generalization, but it is very troubling.
On to the picture, I was so very excited to see:
This makes me understand why its so hard for me to find vintage clothing I can nurse in. I have all of 4 outfits I can wear and still be able to feed my daughter without some form of acrobatic nudity.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Mom Post.
at 9:46 PM
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7 comments:
I never considered that the formula industry would have something to do with non-accessible nursing dresses, but it makes sense. I wish I had the money to start a line of clothing for pregnant and nursing women that would be retro styled. That would rock a lot of socks.
Speaking of socks I love her rolled stockings :)
I didn't feed my children myself, as I was not very well informed on the subject when my children were born but I do think that it's a shame that society is so uptight about something that is very natural.
You are right about the deficit of clothes suited to feeding. The only ones I've seen are not very nice (or to my taste anyhoo)
It is interesting this whole subject. I wonder if in the 50s it was not the thing to breast feed. I imagine formula was considered better at that time. Or, if you were to do it, not in public I would imagine. It probably had a lot to do with where u were in society too, I suppose. Could vintage clothes be 'made over' in the bust to allow for breast feeding?
Ditto the rolled stockings comment!
I am enjoying your blog so much that I awarded you on my own. Keep up the great posts!
I'm very late on this, but wanted to comment that I know my grandmother was discouraged from nursing in the late '40 and early '50s by doctors. They told her that because she had inverted nipples she couldn't nurse (not true!) Rather fortunate for me that my mom was a hippy and did nurse me as was expected of her generation and subculture :)
I don't have children myself, but wouldn't a knit top work for nursing? My sister has successfully nursed in restaurant buy just pulling up her shirt enough to slip out of the bra and get the kids (he has twins) on. You might be able to manage a nice "sweater girl" top and do it.
Just checking in as another momma who longs for a whole wardrobe of vintage clothing that is nursing friendly. My newest addition is a 40's dressing gown that has a zipper all the way up the front that someone hacked off to just below the knee. A shame for those who love a good lounging outfit, but a prize for a girl who needs to get her boobs out all the time!
When I was nursing my daughter, the key to being able to achieve it in vintage was two things. Button through dresses and a modern stretchy cami underneath. That way I could stretch just the top of the cami down without revealing everything else!
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