Isotopic reconstruction of short to absent breastfeeding in a 19th century rural Dutch community

Abstract

Artificial feeding of young infants is considered a modern phenomenon. However, historical sources note its practice in some past European populations. This research explores factors that contributed to a short to absent period of breastfeeding in pre-modern Netherlands. Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope analysis is undertaken on 277 19th century individuals from Beemster, a, rural, mainly Protestant, dairy farming community. An intra-individual sampling approach for ≤6 year-olds compares newer metaphyseal to older diaphyseal long bone collagen to classify feeding status at death. Archivally identified individuals permit analyses of sex and year-of-death. Few infants have isotopic evidence for breastfeeding and, if present, it was likely of short duration or a minor source of dietary protein. From only a few weeks to months of age infants were fed cow’s milk and paps with sugar. There is broad dietary homogeneity with no sex or temporal isotopic differences, but young infants (1–11 months) have the most ẟ15N and ẟ13C variation highlighting the effect of multiple dietary and physiological processes. Beemster had many factors associated with high rates of breastfeeding in other Dutch communities, yet, most mothers did not breastfeed, or not for long, showing that regional variation in infant feeding is influenced by community values and traditions. On top of child rearing and domestic chores, female dairy farmers were in charge of milking cattle and dairy production, an important income source, suggesting high workload was also a factor in short or absent breastfeeding periods, aided by the constant supply of fresh milk that could be fed to an infant by an older sibling.

Grim up North? Exploring the diet of urban populations in post-medieval Greater Manchester, England, using stable isotope analysis

“…The patterning for δ 13 C values for non-adults from both populations indicates that the highest values tend to occur between the ages of 0 and 2 years and thereafter they generally decline. These high δ 13 C values are not correlated with lower δ 15 N values as seen in other studies that postulate that an increase in δ 13 C values may represent the input of sugar as a weaning food in the infant diet (Nitsch et al 2011;Waters-Rist et al 2022). Carbon isotope values of bone collagen are considered to be more robust for assessing the introduction of weaning food, potentially being less affected by physiological stress (Beaumont et al 2018), so this patterning could indicate weaning initiated at around 2 years old.…”

“…Infant diet during this period was subject to variation dependent on individual needs or preferences. Infants from the middle or upper classes may have been weaned early onto poor diets because breastfeeding was considered inconvenient or unfashionable, while early weaning by low classes could be associated with mothers working outside the home, for example urban factory workers (Waters-Rist et al 2022). Instead, infants were often given foods with little nutritious value such as pap (a mixture of flour or breadcrumbs cooked in milk or water), panada (a bread broth or milk flavoured with sugar, eggs or spices) or cow's milk (Drummond and Wilbraham 1939;Nitsch et al 2011;Britton et al 2018) with the poorest in society not being able to afford animal milk.…”

Wat schaft het bot? Een vergelijkend onderzoek naar eetgewoonten en indicatoren voor sociale gelaagdheid van stedelijke en landelijke populaties in Zuid-Oost-Vlaanderen, aan de hand van stabiel isotopenonderzoek op menselijk botmateriaal

“…1 jaar oud is (Britton 2018;Henderson 2014). Ook in vroeg 19de-eeuws Nederland is dit patroon zichtbaar (Waters-Rist et al 2022). Vanuit biologisch perspectief is dit vroeg, wat vermoedelijk te maken heeft met veranderende culturele opvattingen en tewerkstelling van de moeder buitenshuis in deze contexten.…”

“…Eén vergelijkbare studie is beschikbaar uit postmiddeleeuws Nederland; bij een stabiele isotopen dieetanalyse van het rurale dorp Middenbeemster werd de volledige doorsnede van de maatschappij geanalyseerd. In deze studie werd geen significant verschil gevonden tussen de leeftijdscategorieën na de borstvoedingsperiode (Waters-Rist et al 2022). Op basis van deze achtergrondgegevens wordt in de huidige studie dieetpatroon met betrekking tot eiwitconsumptie vergeleken tussen de opgestelde volwassen en niet-volwassen leeftijdscategorieën, uitgaande van de hypothese dat hier geen of weinig verschil zou zijn.…”