Hello everyone! It has been busy for me the past few weeks. Hence, I was absent here for a bit. But now I am back and I have a juicy scoop to tell you.
I cannot recall the exact time and date of the "Ruffa and Ai" show I saw on TV where they talked about breastfeeding by mothers to their babies. Surely, I was just watching and listening like any normal human being that day. Suddenly I was shocked when the instructor or the guest breastfeeding expert in the show, explained the possibility of men breastfeeding to their little babies! That was what that got me hooked to the show then.
It was discussed in the session that the capacity of a human to nurture and take care of his offspring does not limit itself through the boundaries of sexual orientation. It means simply, that not only women can breastfeed their young, but men too! "It is all in the mind," as what the speaker on the show said. Our bodies are composed of hormones- lots of 'em. We have the tendency to be a bit on the masculine side or on the feminine side. This innate characteristic plays a vital role in nurturing our own kind. And also, the capacity to love one another or take care of someone is always there in us. The lady talked also about breastfeeding as an enjoyable and painless activity. If ever there is pain that a woman feels, then she is not properly attuned to nurturing her child. These "act of caring" can be properly performed and improved through undergoing a relaxing massage and meditation.
If you will it, then it will come. I am talking about the milk from a woman's and/or man's breast. Whew! I am still baffled by this latest research findings just like you. But nevertheless this never stopped fascinating me. Even a virgin can even lactate and offer milk to the baby from her own breasts. The speaker on the show said, that the possibilities are endless. That we are given a gift from God to nurture and care for our children. Hence, this is just one of the numerous gifts we got from Up Above.
Let me share to you an excerpt of an article I found while researching online. Although this is more focused on homosexuality, it's essence is still very obvious. Here it is:
Feminist author Fiona Giles, author of Fresh Milk: The Secret Life of Breasts, claims that there are "obvious benefits" to male breastfeeding. While men have the biological ability to produce milk, she says, the time and effort necessary to induce lactation might be out of proportion to the miniscule amounts of milk actually produced--but for a gay man to hold a baby to his breast "would be extremely beneficial to both the parent and child."
Lactation consultant Susan Leisner of Buffalo, New York, on the other hand, points out that there are many more effective ways of establishing a deep and close bond between a male parent of any sexual orientation and the child--such as singing, rocking, skin-to-skin contact, and talking to the baby with the parent's face in close proximity to the baby's. "If a man came to me and asked me to help him lactate, I would refuse," Leisner declared.
Laura Shanley, author of the book Unassisted Childbirth, says in the article that she is aware of a few gay men who have breastfed their babies. But, Shanley says, it is difficult for these adoptive fathers to come forward and speak of their experience out of fear of losing their children.
All of the sources cited in the And Baby article, however, point out the biological hurdles of inducing male lactation, as well as the social stigma attached to the idea of men breastfeeding their children.
Commenting on the article, NARTH's Joseph Nicolosi said, "Indeed, the 'social stigma' attached to male breastfeeding isn't something we need to break down, because a gay man imitating a woman by nursing a baby is an affront to human dignity. We were not created to masquerade as the opposite sex--and no man can truly 'mother' a baby."
Lactation consultant Susan Leisner of Buffalo, New York, on the other hand, points out that there are many more effective ways of establishing a deep and close bond between a male parent of any sexual orientation and the child--such as singing, rocking, skin-to-skin contact, and talking to the baby with the parent's face in close proximity to the baby's. "If a man came to me and asked me to help him lactate, I would refuse," Leisner declared.
Laura Shanley, author of the book Unassisted Childbirth, says in the article that she is aware of a few gay men who have breastfed their babies. But, Shanley says, it is difficult for these adoptive fathers to come forward and speak of their experience out of fear of losing their children.
All of the sources cited in the And Baby article, however, point out the biological hurdles of inducing male lactation, as well as the social stigma attached to the idea of men breastfeeding their children.
Commenting on the article, NARTH's Joseph Nicolosi said, "Indeed, the 'social stigma' attached to male breastfeeding isn't something we need to break down, because a gay man imitating a woman by nursing a baby is an affront to human dignity. We were not created to masquerade as the opposite sex--and no man can truly 'mother' a baby."
Source: http://www.narth.com/docs/brfeed.html
http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/MaleBreastfeeding.jpg
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