For many years, I too, have been noting that the male is the more fragile
of the species!  I learned this (too many years ago to count!) from an
academician who studies human growth and development.  His contention is
that a) were no male hormones introduced, all fetus would be born female;
b) when the "original model" (read female) is changed, it is weakened; c)
hence, greater losses of "new model" (read male) outcomes (read
fetuses/babies/children/adults) are poorer.

Now, look at the statistics for abortuses (spontaneous), miscarriages,
stillbirths, early neonatal losses, later postneonatal deaths, accidents,
congenital defects, and on and on.  You will find that this is a
disproportionate loss of males over females.

ALthough he didn't infer this, do you suppose that Mother Nature (in her
wisdom) recognized  the impact of changing the original model and thus
contributes to a margin of safety by having more males (slightly) than
females born across cultures?  Just a thought.

More to the point of the discussion, I too have seen a disproportionate
number of male infants with breastfeeding difficulties than females.  Not
that girl babies can't also have difficulties, but they are less frequently
presenting to me than the male babies.  I also had a male baby.  He had no
problems with breastfeeding UNTIL he was taken from me and treated for
jaundice in the nursery and sending me home.  Don't scream!  I didn't know
as much then as I knew later and this WAS 27... years ago.  But outcome was
he was terribly nipple confused when I finally got him out of prison (so to
speak) and home with me.  As much as I hated it (remember that I was a
stricken weepy new mother whose baby was kept in hospital 2 extra days and
I was sent home with a "nipple killer" bulb syringe pump and no
instructions), I followed the doc's advice to alternate breastfeeds with
bottles for two more days.  All that did was elongate the time it took for
me to get over sore nipples from that damned pump AND the baby's funny
feedings.

Fortunately, I stuck it out (deep breathing helped and I honestly never
really consdiered bottle-feeding) and one day he and I both got the hang of
everything and there was NO MORE PAIN with breastfeeding.  He nursed til he
weaned.... :-)

Circs affect some babies far more than others.  Since all (in the US) who
are circ-ed are males, it makes sense to me that so many early bf problems
present with males....

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"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly
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Kathleen G. Auerbach,PhD, IBCLC (Ferndale, WA USA) [log in to unmask]
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