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The rather perfectly formed item pictured above is not, as a salon visitor wrongly guessed, a tea strainer. It is, in fact, a silver nipple shield. This would have been used to ensure the comfort of a nursing woman during months or years of breastfeeding, preventing any unpleasant chafing or soreness and hopefully ensuring that this particular element of motherhood went as smoothly as could be!
This is a beautiful example of a rather wonderful piece of domestic history and one can only imagine that it would have been used in a very fine household. No doubt the lady to whom it belonged was grateful for the respite her silver nipple shield brought, let alone the rather fine craftsmanship that went into creating it!
It looks rather painful to me. I thought when I first saw it that maybe it was to spare the new mother embarrassment when breast feeding in public. Goodness knows, there's still a lot of fuss made about that even today, one female MP being told off for feeding her baby in Parliament meetings!
ReplyDeleteMy colonial gentlemen thinks it looks painful too; like a small instrument of torture!
DeleteNow I wish I wrote in the Georgian era - this would definitely make an appearance! And doesn't look painful to me - cold maybe...
ReplyDeleteBrrr!
DeleteI had to use a nipple shield with one of my children. It looks fine to me. Easy enough to warm up.
ReplyDeleteOpinions seem divided on this one!
DeleteI bet yours wasn't made of silver, Fiona!;-)
ReplyDeletePoor baby sucking on and pressing on silver rather than warm flesh. I do imagine some mothers had sore breasts especially if one infant was barely weaned before another was born to take its place.
ReplyDeleteAt least it isn't the lead version that became popular later!
DeleteReminds me of one of the things I DON'T miss from the time when my babies were babies ...
ReplyDeleteOuch!
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