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Mom, Dad and Me
These Dads Support Breastfeeding!
By Kelly Burgess
(Penguin, 2006), he and his wife, Noelle Howey, had discussed the issue of breastfeeding while she was pregnant and knew they wanted to give it their best shot. However, they had also planned that Howey would nurse some of the time, and then pump and fill bottles so that Healy could take his turn. As it turned out, Howey wasn't able to pump enough spare milk to fill bottles, so Healy wasn't able to share time until the baby was old enough to occasionally have a bottle of formula.
"I guess I can relate to the feeling that some men have about being left out, because I had really been looking forward to taking turns feeding the baby," he says. "But any negative feelings I may have had, I got over very quickly when I realized that it's not nearly as easy to breastfeed as you would think."
Lactation consultant Debbie Albert says that the actuality of breastfeeding can be quite a shock to new parents of both sexes. "Breastfeeding is not just a mechanical act," she says. "It's affected by a lot of different factors and can turn into an even greater challenge if the mother is on medication or has had a difficult birth. The father can take on an important role in helping her stick with their plan to breastfeed."
- Stay informed. Learn about breastfeeding and some of the common concerns and problems.
- Act as a liaison. Know your wife's lactation consultant or La Leche League contact. When Mom is inarticulate from illness, medications or, as happened with Rachel Simpson, snaps from stress, be the voice of reason for your wife.
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