When I give my BF class to pregnant moms, dads are often there (hooray). I am often asked "when can I pump so Dad can feed a bottle?", I answer, "You know, it is really great that dads are playing a major role in raising their kids these days. But if he *really* wants to help out, ask him to take over the third trimester of pregnancy, please." This usually gets a laugh -- but it does remind everyone that some functions were just meant to be done by mom's body. I also offer a hand-out which, which I reproduce below. In the spirit of Creative Commons, you may use it and edit it for your purposes, but use it with attribution and for no commercial gain (i.e. tell people you got it from me, and don't sell it. You'll see I attributed the Lactnetters who inspired the original, and yes, they had given permission when original posts were made). FOR FATHERS ONLY Some Ways to Father a Breastfed Baby 1. Dad’s job is to teach baby that s/he can be loved and nurtured without being fed at the same time, too! 2. Provide ongoing support to the breastfeeding mother. She has a lot of nursing to do, and she wants to know how much you love her, and your healthy baby. 3. Act as a buffer between mom and those who may not understand how important it is for mom and baby to be together so much. 4. Play an active role in making decisions about baby's health care. Your support of the decision to breastfeed is a great beginning! 5. Hold your baby face-to-face; talk to and touch your baby. S/he recognizes your voice from the womb, and loves to look at your face. Watch her mimic you! 6. Take your baby for walks in the baby carrier or stroller. 7. Bathe, burp, diaper and play with your baby as much as possible. 8. Learn to put your baby to sleep by letting him fall asleep on your shoulder or chest. (Dad is a place for comfort and rest too!) 9. When your baby is fussy, walk, rock or sing to her. 10. When mom is tired, encourage her to rest, and bring baby in when it is time to nurse. 11. Give mom a break by holding and caring for baby between feedings. And Two Ideas from a Dad Who Has Done It 12. Play games to make the baby laugh such as "touch the ceiling" and "bounce the ball off the ceiling." 13. Give daddy a high five when gas is passed in any direction! (Mothers often disapprove of these two, which is why dads need private time with the baby.*) © Elizabeth C. Brooks, JD, IBCLC; March 2003; adapted from the originals by Ruth Bacon, IBCLC, and *Rob Cordes, DO Liz Brooks, JD, IBCLC Wyndmoor, PA, USA _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html