Blokes, Boobs & Breastfeeding – Dads, Your Support Is Crucial
By David Vernon
Editor, With Women (2007), Men at Birth (2006) and Having a Great Birth in Australia (2005)
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Do you know the #1 reason for women giving up on breastfeeding?
Men, here’s a quick quiz for you. What is the biggest cause of women giving up breastfeeding?
a) The pain of cracked nipples?
b) The constant demand for feeding from the baby?
c) Leaking breasts?
d) Difficulty in getting the baby to ‘latch on’ and obtain adequate milk?
e) None of the above?
Very few of the men who attend my parenting seminars get the correct answer. The answer is ‘e’.
While cracked nipples, feeding demands, leaking breasts and problems with ‘latching on’ can all take their toll and make feeding difficult in the early days, the vast majority of women can work through these problems and feed successfully and enjoyably within a few weeks.
Sadly, and often surprisingly for the men to whom I give the above question, the correct answer is that “Men [unsupportive of breastfeeding] are the biggest cause of women giving up breastfeeding.”
There is a significant amount of research indicating that where men are not supportive of breastfeeding, absolute breastfeeding rates are lower, and women who do breastfeed wean their babies earlier. So how could this be? Why are men the cause?
When men understand the vast benefits of breastfeeding compared to formula feeding, the research shows that they will support their partner if she has a tricky time establishing feeding. If men really think they need to do something about their partner’s breast-feeding problems, then they can read the extensive amount of material about the benefits of breastfeeding.
Men Want To Do Something… Anything! You will find the rest of this great article HERE.
