Milk and mothercraft : infant feeding trends in Singapore from 1900 to the 1970s

The most prominent discourse in infant feeding has been the conflict between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding. Breastfeeding has been recognized as the ideal food for infants. However, since the invention of infant formula in the nineteenth century, a low prevalence of breastfeeding has been observed. This study aims to address this disparity between infant feeding recommendations and the reality of practices observed. By observing external forces that shape perceptions of artificial milk and motherhood, this study seeks to explore infant feeding patterns in relation to ideologies of motherhood. Overall, this study argues that while the mother’s breastmilk was consistently regarded as the best for infants, provision of milk in accordance with prevailing ‘modern’ health standards and social pressures faced by mothers resulted in the prevalence of breast-milk substitutes in infant feeding trends in Singapore.Bachelor of Arts in Histor