In the USA, it is National Breastfeeding (Bodyfeeding) Month and every week in August is dedicated to World Breastfeeding Week, Indigenous Milk Medicine Week, Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Week, Black Breastfeeding Week.

Since the beginning of time, people have been feeding their babies from their bodies.  Here are some collections of breast/chest/bodyfeeding images, some artwork and others actual images, through the ages.

27 Amazing Old Images of Breastfeeding throughout History - The Pregnant Chicken

This collection has some very interesting images from around the world.

23 Historical Images that Normalize Breastfeeding - Lactation 911

Some global images and a mix of art and photography.

Beautiful Breastfeeding Images from the Past - BabyCentre UK

Some artwork and some photographic images, global collection.

U.S. Breastfeeding Committee Images with permission to use

Filling out a short form allows you access to a wide collection of images from the United States mostly from the last two decades.

Breastfeeding through History - LLL Alliance for Breastfeeding Education

Global photos with a few pieces of artwork.

Paintings of Breastfeeding - Wikimedia Commons

Free to use images with attribution.

A Gift, A Challenge, An Isolating Experience: Artists Explore The Complexities Of Breastfeeding - WBUR Boston Public Radio

Artists and photographers comment on their individual works of bodyfeeding.

Many years ago, on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, a well-loved children's tv show, Fred Rogers spoke about breast/chest/bodyfeeding with a sweet video.

From the long-running U.S. public children’s television show “Sesame Street,” there is an episode with First Nations mother Buffy Sainte-Marie, who feeds her son Cody, and has a conversation with Big Bird about it. You can find that clip here.

People have been giving their children their milk, and documenting it in a variety of ways since ancient times.  As perinatal professionals, we can use the resources available here and in other places to discover, learn and share with the families we work with.

Published: August 17, 2022

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