The concept of maternal love was absent among Europeans before the eighteenth century. Children were often perceived in terms of economic use, and mothers were not expected to care for their children, love them equally, or mourn their deaths. Upper-class European women deemed breastfeeding disgusting and immodest; wet nurses were often employed so mothers could enjoy their social and intellectual pursuits.
A shift in Europeans’ ideas about motherhood and childhood commenced during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Whereas children of the Middle Ages were perceived as evil and animal-like, now they were seen as innocent and special. “Childhood” became a valuable time period in children’s lives, and motherhood became a highly important role for women. In greater numbers, mothers breastfed their own children.
A shift in Europeans’ ideas about motherhood and childhood commenced during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Whereas children of the Middle Ages were perceived as evil and animal-like, now they were seen as innocent and special. “Childhood” became a valuable time period in children’s lives, and motherhood became a highly important role for women. In greater numbers, mothers breastfed their own children.