Ben-Nun L
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Soroka Hospital Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheeva, Israel.
Minerva Pediatr. 2006 Dec;58(6):551-6.
Although breast milk provides the best nutrition for the infant, breast-feeding has been decreasing with the growth in use of prepared milk formulas. This paper evaluates the available biblical literature dealing with breast-feeding. The research is unique in character, as it combines contemporary medical knowledge with presentation of cases taken from ancient history. We include no commentaries, but refer only to the words of the Bible exactly as written. Biblical texts relating to breast-feeding were examined and the cases of biblical characters who were breast-fed were studied. The great historical figures such as Isaac, Rebecca, Moses, Samuel, and Joash were breast-fed, openly or secretly. If the biological mother was unable to nurse her child, a wet nurse took over the feeding. Breast-feeding was the only way infants could survive at that time. Weaning day was very important and was celebrated. The wet nurse played an important role in family life, in some cases remaining to live with the infant after weaning, through childhood and even into adulthood. In spite of advanced technology that provides artificial infant formulas, contemporary mothers, just like biblical mothers, should be encouraged to breast-feed their infants.
尽管母乳为婴儿提供了最佳营养，但随着配方奶粉使用的增加，母乳喂养率一直在下降。本文评估了现有的关于母乳喂养的圣经文献。这项研究独具特色，它将当代医学知识与取自古代历史的案例相结合。我们不包括注释，只引用圣经中确切的原文。研究了与母乳喂养相关的圣经经文，并研究了圣经中接受母乳喂养的人物案例。伟大的历史人物，如以撒、利百加、摩西、撒母耳和约阿施，都曾公开或秘密地接受母乳喂养。如果生母无法哺育自己的孩子，就会由奶妈接手喂养。母乳喂养是当时婴儿存活的唯一途径。断奶日非常重要，会举行庆祝活动。奶妈在家庭生活中扮演着重要角色，在某些情况下，断奶后仍与婴儿生活在一起，直至其童年甚至成年。尽管现代技术提供了人工婴儿配方奶粉，但当代母亲也应像圣经中的母亲一样，受到鼓励进行母乳喂养。
