The dry feeding trend came from the West. But, fortunately (or unfortunately?), I have not yet found large-scale support.
No, a miracle did not happen, as well as a revolution in physiological processes. Breastfeeding is still a prerogative of women (although we may not mind sharing). However, dads do not pretend to be a “dairy kitchen”. They – those men who try to attach a baby to their breasts – have their own arguments in this favor.
“Sometimes, when it’s my turn to calm down my crying daughter at two in the morning, I’m practically desperate to get her to suckle my breasts,” a dad who wished to remain anonymous wrote on Reddit. “She usually refuses (maybe because her breasts are too hairy), but sometimes she sticks.”
The man admitted that at this moment he was experiencing mixed feelings. On the one hand, the joy of such a strong bond between father and daughter. On the other, the horror of what he has become.
“Do other dads do it? – the experimenter poured in with questions. – Are there any ways how to make her suck if she doesn’t want to take the nipple? And in general, am I not very strange? By the way, I don’t really want to breastfeed – it’s weird for me. “
It turned out to be strange for some other Reddit users too. They wrote that they did not condemn, but they themselves would never have dared to do this. Others admitted that the men in their family also tried, but failed.
“My husband was curious about what it was like and he let his son cling to his nipple,” said one woman. – Only after exactly three seconds he screamed in pain: the baby bit him. I don’t think it’s strange, for me it’s even cute. ”
Another experienced dad said that in his case, the little finger played the role of a nipple. True, now, in her 10 months, my daughter no longer buys this trick.
“And my husband tried, but I shouted at him and forbade him to do that,” shared another mom. “The baby won’t get milk, and sucking on a hairy breast just isn’t very fun.”
At the same time, many remembered that last fall a video appeared on Twitter: a baby sucked on to dad’s chest. There were no problems with hair, so the child smacked with a “live nipple”, though not really understanding what was happening and why there was no milk.
“She’s clearly at a loss,” the laughing dad signed the video.
The video went viral: almost 5 million people watched it! 61 thousand shares, more than 150 thousand likes. In the comments, other dads even began to share similar videos. Opinions, as usual, were divided: from harshly judgmental to sugary-sweet.
Some subscribers even warned that if a man suckled for several weeks, he would have milk. And by the way, they weren’t that far from the truth. Doctors say the term “male lactation” does exist. The story describes several situations in which men produced breast milk. True, this happens either as a result of dysfunction of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus, or as a result of stimulation of the hormone prolactin.
By the way, putting the baby on the dad’s breast after childbirth is a common practice. This is done if the mother had to go for a cesarean section. While the woman is being stitched up after the operation, the child lies on the father’s chest. Preterm babies are nursed in the same way – they need skin-to-skin contact. And there is no difference whose skin, mother’s or father’s.
Moreover, British scientists (yes, they are the most) argue that men’s milk will be healthier than women’s. But believe them or not – it’s up to you. Check, alas, is unlikely to succeed.
How do you like this experiment with dry feeding?