Is breast best? Evaluating breastfeeding patterns and causes of infant death in a Dutch province in the period 1875–1900

Abstract

In the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant, infants experienced extremely high mortality risks towards the final decades of the nineteenth century. It has been stated that infant survival in the past highly depended upon the fact whether a child was breastfed or not. In this article we will reflect on this perceived importance of infant diet in order to explain the high mortality risks of Brabant infants in the period 1875-1900. Using local aggregated cause of death data, a change in breastfeeding practices can indeed be detected. Between 1875/79 and 1895/99 there was an increase in the relative and absolute number of infants deaths as a result of diarrhoea and other digestive disorders indicating deficient hygiene and that fewer infants were breastfed frequently. By discussing differences between urban and rural settings, and between Catholic and Protestant regions, we will shed more light on possible mechanisms for this change in breastfeeding practices.

Intergenerational transmission of longevity is not affected by other familial factors:evidence from 16,905 Dutch families from Zeeland, 1812-1962

“…Parental behavior is not included in our analyses due to data constraints, but is known to be an indicator of offspring survival. Having a drinking or smoking parent seems harmful for offspring survival (Hill et al, 2000;Huizink & Mulder, 2006;Ji et al, 1997;Lindahl-Jacobsen et al, 2013), whereas breastfeeding might have been benefited offspring survival (Van den Boomen & Ekamper, 2015;Walhout, 2010). During the period under observation, few people smoked, alcohol consumption was common practice, and breastfeeding practices varied considerably by region (Janssen & Van Poppel, 2015;Van den Boomen & Ekamper, 2015).…”

Intergenerational transmission of longevity is not affected by other familial factors: Evidence from 16,905 Dutch families from Zeeland, 1812-1962

“…Parental behavior is not included in our analyses due to data constraints, but is known to be an indicator of offspring survival. Having a drinking or smoking parent seems harmful for offspring survival (Hill et al, 2000;Huizink & Mulder, 2006;Ji et al, 1997;Lindahl-Jacobsen et al, 2013), whereas breastfeeding might have been benefited offspring survival (van den Boomen & Ekamper, 2015;Walhout, 2010). During the period under observation, few people smoked, alcohol consumption was common practice, and breastfeeding practices varied considerably by region (Janssen & Van Poppel, 2015;van den Boomen & Ekamper, 2015).…”

Svaka majka doji svoje dite, samo ako ima mlika

“…npr. Fildes 1988: 45;157;Thorvaldsen 2008;Walhout 2010) ili s dojenjem koje je na razne načine bilo nedostatno (ne-isključivo, ne-dugotrajnije i sl.). Mnogi stručnjaci naglašavaju da je u siromašnim sredinama s lošim higijenskim standardom -a o takvim je sredinama riječ i u ovome tekstu -dojenje "doslovce pitanje života i smrti" (Tješić-Drinković 2016: 256).…”