As a male helping with BF, I have to be sensitive to a mom's
feelings; her being uncomfortable with me would make my job much
more difficult.  Before I start, when I ask my client to sign the consent
form, I point out to her that I may need to touch her
breast, and offer to refer her to a female colleague if she thinks
she might be uncomfortable with having a male help her.  It's
only happened a few times.

I insist on a chaperone (husband or trusted female) to protect me
from any possibility of an accusation of impropriety.  I'd guess
any male practitioner has to do the same, for the same reason.

I seldom need to do "hands on".  The few times I do, I'm more likely
to be touching the baby than the mom (except for bra fitting).  In
either case I ask permission again and wear gloves.

I hope we'll get back to a society where people grow up seeing moms
breastfeed openly, where men and women alike are so familiar with
BFing the dad can help if the diad has a latch or position problem,
where most families have women nearby who have enough experience with
birthing to qualify as midwives, and most birthing is done at home.

Unfortunately, my culture is plagued by a "Hooters" mentality.  It's
so pervasive, even LC's frequently consider their breasts to be sex
organs.  The women who do BF generally wear clothing to conceal it,
and women are separated from close relatives as soon as they marry.
In the ghetto, women of color have about 1/3 the rate of BFing
initiation as college graduates.  Many women lack the financial
resources to see an LC out of the hospital.  Until we fix our cultural
bias, we'll need all the BF support we can get, especially volunteer
and pro-bono support for those unable to afford LC rates.  Male
practitioners may not be the best choice, but we help fill the void.

Jonathan


Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another.
                                              -  Juvenal
    Only G-d knows the formula for mother's milk

           L. Jonathan Kramer, P.E.
           mailto:[log in to unmask]
       Graduate Breastfeeding Counselor
         Student Lactation Consultant
     Certified Medela Nursing Bra Fitter
            Breastfeeding Helpers

             ***********************************************
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