January 21, 2016

From Nicholas II letters, as reprised by Bob Atchison on The Alexandra Palace Time Machine: Nicky wrote of their first baby Olga, who weighed in at 10 pounds--the physician had to use forceps but-- ". . . Thank God is all well; but the baby does not want to take her breast, so we had to call the wet-nurse again." The matter of the wet-nurse, in fact, had inspired some amusement between the two married couples. As Xenia (the Tsar's sister)  had recorded on November 5, "Alix started feeding [Olga] herself. During dinner, the wet-nurse's son started to take her breast, and we all took turns to go in and watch the spectacle!" Amidst all this domesticity, Alix's grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, was not to be denied. On November 12 Nicholas wrote his grandmother-in-law an affectionate letter about the days following the birth of his daughter. Aware of the Queen's adversity to her own daughters and granddaughters engaging in breast-feeding, Nicholas was pleasant but firm regarding his wife's preference in the matter. "Dearest Alicky, who is lying near me in bed, begs to thank you most tenderly for your letter and good wishes. Thank God everything went off happily and both she and the little child are progressing most satisfactorily. She finds such a pleasure in nursing our sweet baby herself. For my part I consider it the most natural thing a mother can do and I think the example an excellent one! We are both so pleased that you accepted to be Godmother of our first child, because I am sure it will prove a happiness to her after your constant signs of kindness and of motherly affection towards us." Alexandra breastfeededing Olga