He was a lactivist!
“. . .the Lord does not in vain prepare nutriment for children in their mothers’ bosoms, before they are born. But those on whom he confers the honor of mothers, he, in this way, constitutes nurses; and they who deem it a hardship to nourish their own offspring, break, as far as they are able, the sacred bond of nature. If disease, or anything of that kind, is the hindrance, they have a just excuse; but for mothers voluntarily, and for their own pleasure, to avoid the trouble of nursing, and thus to make themselves only half-mothers, is a shameful corruption.”
–In his commentary on Genesis 21:7
Via TulipGirl, just wanted to be sure all my readers see it!
That is so awesome.
Interesting that even in that day, some mothers apparently neglected this aspect of their duties. So much so that Calvin needed to say something about it. Very cool post, helps me with my attitude toward the bobbie-juice crazed toddler in my house.
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I think it was standard practice among the upper classes for several centuries. Even Susannah Wesley used a nurse for some of her babies, at least once due to illness, but on other occasions it seems to have been because she felt like she couldn’t get all of her other household duties done while she was nursing a baby.