This article will describe the content of the key criteria for the selection of wet nurses that persisted across time and the authors who transmitted this advice. Where relevant, it will include variations, such as additional recommendations or a different weighting being given to one or other criterion by a particular author. The focus is on the selection of a wet nurse for the employer's baby. The factors that led a woman to enter this employment and the consequences for her own baby will not be addressed here as they will be discussed elsewhere. The article is an historical one, drawing on primary sources, where possible, and important secondary sources. Guidelines for the selection of wet-nurses have existed from antiquity to the early 20th century. The key recommendations managed to survive across the centuries because they were considered useful by influential ancient and Early Modern and later authors who passed them on through copying and translations. It is tempting to assume that the prescriptive advice was followed by physicians and mothers. However, the discussion will raise doubts about whether the criteria were adhered to by physicians and parents, particularly when wet nurses were in scarce supply.

In 2009 the first national and international guideline providing direction for breastfeeding women on drinking alcohol was included in the National Health and Medical Research Council Australian guidelines to reduce health risks from drinking alcohol. In the absence of an accompanying education campaign for the guidelines, the Australian Breastfeeding Association was able to fill this gap and work in partnership with a breastfeeding researcher to develop an education resource for Australian women that was also a national and international first. This commentary outlines the journey of the research that informed the development of the resource and the integral involvement of the Australian Breastfeeding Association throughout.

In 1999, two leading Australian academics challenged Australian universities to lead moves to better manage employees' maternity and breastfeeding needs, and 'bring babies and breasts into workplaces'. This paper addresses the question of how universities cope with the need for women to breastfeed, by exploring barriers facing women who combine breastfeeding and paid work at the Australian National University (ANU). Data were collected through online surveys in 2013 using mixed method, case study design, nested within a larger national study. Participants were 64 working mothers of children aged 0-2 years from the ANU community of employees and users of on-campus child care. Responses highlighted the ad hoc nature of support for breastfeeding at ANU. Lack of organisational support for breastfeeding resulted in adverse consequences for some ANU staff. These included high work-related stresses and premature cessation of breastfeeding among women who had intended to breastfeed their infants in line with health recommendations.

Breastfeeding is widely accepted as an important public health issue for babies and their mothers. Yet, despite this, Australia continues to struggle with reaching global targets for breastfeeding indicators. In 2007, the Best Start Parliamentary Inquiry Report was released and set the stage for the Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy [2010-2015), which was announced in November 2009, with the vision to increase Australia's breastfeeding rates of infants at 6 months of age and beyond. The aim of this research project was to explore the perspectives of key stakeholders in the field of infant feeding in Australia on the implementation of the strategy, barriers and enablers to its successful implementation and actions that were still needed. Using qualitative research methods of in-depth, semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, this study identifies main themes of these perceptions about the strategy implementation and some recommendations for future strategies and further research. The main themes identified were initial opinions of the strategy as a blueprint for action, the strategy as a driver for action, lessons learned and recommendations for the future. For success in improving implementation of national breastfeeding strategies, it is recommended that Australia establish an independent breastfeeding/infant feeding committee, increase the political prioritisation of issues surrounding infant feeding and strengthen the regulation of the marketing of breastmilk substitutes.

Wet-nursing was an essential practice that allowed for infant survival after many mothers died in childbirth. The story of wet-nursing is complicated by both religious pressures and cultural expectations of women. It is likely that these historical practices have shaped our current social, political and legislative environments regarding breastfeeding. The aim of this article is to provide a historical perspective on the practice of wet-nursing, with a focus on: 1) social views of wet nurses, 2) breastmilk evaluation and 3) the ideal wet nurse. Historical perspectives from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, 19th and 20th century America and current practices are examined. An appreciation for the evolution of breastmilk sharing provides clinicians and lactation advocates with the historical origins which provided the template for current practice as it relates to donor milk, breastfeeding culture and relevant legislation.

Many cultures around the world routinely practise bedsharing by the mother-infant dyad. Bedsharing in these cultures is believed to ensure a safe and comfortable night's sleep for both mother and infant, as well as supporting breastfeeding. Nonetheless, this practice is at odds with dominant Western cultural ideals about child rearing and is recommended against by public health campaigns regarding SIDS. The current qualitative study aimed to explore the lived experiences of breastfeeding mothers who bed-shared with their infants in a Western cultural setting. In-depth interviews were conducted with six multiparous mothers and were analysed using a phenomenological framework. Seven themes were identified, including mothers' increased sleep quality and/or quantity, easier infant settling and a strong relationship with breastfeeding ease and duration. Given that many mothers bed-share, public policies need to be inclusive of this practice in order to lessen the likelihood of unsafe bedsharing practices.

Breast and nipple pain, nipple damage and mastitis are common reasons given by women for their early cessation of breastfeeding. There are a limited number of effective therapies available to support healing of damaged nipples during lactation. Low level laser therapy is a painless treatment, which appears to accelerate wound healing and ease pain. We present two case studies, which demonstrate the use of low level laser therapy in clinical practice.

... it was horrible - a difficult, painful and agonizing process. ... Nothing I tried made it anything but torture. Finally, my son got a mouthful of blood, and I gave up. I felt like a failure. It added to my depression, made me question my ability to mother, and caused my infant to lose too much weight. (The American Dietetic Association's) position paper has no loopholes for us 'failures', no compassion for those of us too poor to rent an electric pump ... Could you please let us off the hook? (Saban, 2002, p. 24) I can't say what a devastating experience failing to breastfeed Bianca was for me. I was left feeling like I'd failed her as a mother, and even as a woman. I found it difficult to talk about, and was loath to bottle feed Bianca in public.