Throughout history and across cultures people have had to grapple with the problem of what to do if a birth mother cannot feed her own baby. One solution has been wet nursing: the nursing of an infant by another woman.
Historically, wet nursing has been met with suspicion – even vociferous opposition – and wet nurses (and their milk) have been subject to invasive surveillance. In this in-depth but accessible talk you will discover the history of wet-nursing in England and examine its vital role in feeding infants who were brought to the Foundling Hospital. What were the experiences of wet nurses and infants? How were nurses selected, supported and monitored? What can we know about their impact on the lives and outcomes for the children in their care?
This talk will last 40 minutes, with an opportunity to ask questions afterwards. Tickets are available to watch either ONLINE or IN-PERSON at the Foundling Museum; in-person tickets include Museum entry. The online recording will be available to watch for 1 month.
This talk is part of a series of ‘Meet the Expert’ events, diving into the history of the Foundling Hospital. To find out more, explore the other ‘Meet the Experts’ talks on our What’s On page.
Dr Deborah Albon has extensive experience as a university lecturer and researcher with more than 30 publications to her name on children and food-related topics. Her latest book is First Helpings: A History of Children and Food, published by Reaktion Books, 2026 co-authored with Dr Amy Palmer. Deb is a volunteer at the Foundling Museum and works on conserving the Foundling Hospital records.
Abigail Carr is a PhD candidate at the University of Leicester and is researching representations of wet nurses in relation to disease transmission. Her doctoral project uses the Foundling Hospital records to show how wet nurses were vital in ensuring that foundlings survived infancy, often at risk to their own health.