Male Breastfeeding, What a Manly Thought That Is

The oddity here is not that men can breastfeed, but rather that they can and don't know it.

This has apparently never been considered a man's task, although there have been cases, sometimes out of necessity, in which it became the task of a particular man.

Many would no doubt say that men's ability to lactate is not by itself a reason for men to start breastfeeding. That would be the fallacy of deriving an ought from an is. For the most part, women seem to be better suited to breastfeeding, although one authority in this film says men's milk has higher levels of protein.

That, at least, is an issue that could be addressed from the comfortable distance of science.

As for the practical decision about who gets to breastfeed, unless medical concerns enter in, this is best handled by those immediately involved. Yet isn't it odd that we hardly talk about this at all?

(Photo from flickr.)

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Comments

[sgoralnick]

hi! in the future, i require permission to use my photos, as well as a proper attribution (the photo is by me, not by flickr). please either search for images licensed under creative commons, or just simply ask. thanks!