宋代皇室乳母的來源不同以往由官婢擔任，而是出現聘僱的方式。宋代婦女必須身家清白，品行和順，謹言慎行，身體健康，方能具備入宮擔任乳母的資格。皇室乳母主要負責乳養新生兒，有些乳母完成階段性任務後便會離開宮廷，有些則終生照顧陪伴主人。大多皇室乳母盡忠職守，與乳兒感情深厚，所以生前享有優厚待遇，甚至恩及家屬。皇帝乳母過世後，皇帝也為其輟朝服喪，由此可見乳母地位之高。相對地，有些乳母則是怠忽職守，遭到懲處。由於角色與工作環境較為特殊，因此皇室乳母成為官員攏絡的對象，抑或藉此干預政事。大體而言，宋人能以理性的態度來處理面對皇室乳母，雖然乳母出身中下階層，卻能待之以禮，不似古時反對皇帝爵封乳母，以及為乳母服喪，這是時代的進步。

Different from that royal wet nurses were taken on by official maids in other dynasties, the royal family of Sung dynasty began to employ wet nurses from women with clear family background. They were not only healthy, but also honest, gentle, and careful. Women who met the aforementioned criteria were eligible for the position. Royal wet nurses were mainly responsible for looking after the newborns. Some of them would leave the imperial palace once they completed their assigned duties, and some would stay with their masters/mistresses for all their lives. Most of royal wet nurses were loyal to their job and built strong relationship with the young children they looked after. Thus, they were rewarded official titles, and their family had preferential treatment from the royal family. When royal wet nurses passed away, the children they looked after would put on mourning for them. In contrast with these honored wet nurses, some were punished for negligence and not doing their job well. Due to their special role and work environment, they were often the target of government officials who tried to draw the wet nurses to their side, and attempted to influence the politics. Generally speaking, people in Sung dynasty treated royal wet nurses with rational attitude. Although they were from middle or lower class of the society, people in Sung dynasty could still treat them with respect. Before Sung dynasty, the emperor was opposed to rewarding wet nurses and putting on mourning for them. This phenomenon in Sung dynasty could be seen as a milestone in the history.