Men should breastfeed
Many people think breastfeeding is a purely woman’s business. Wrong! A man can increase or reduce his wife’s production of breast milk.
By Moses Mulondo
Many people think breastfeeding is a purely woman’s business. Wrong! A man can increase or reduce his wife’s production of breast milk.
According to psychology experts, the tender loving care that a man gives his wife boosts production of breast milk.
“It gives comfort and peace of mind to the breastfeeding mother, which in turn increases the quantity of breast milk,†says Dr. Janet Nambi, head of the Makerere University Institute of Psychology.
On the other hand any stress imposed on a breastfeeding mother, whether through harassment or negligence, reduces milk production, says Nambi.
Ursula Wangwe, a nutritionist with the Ministry of Health, agrees with Nambi. She explains that psychological stress interferers with the detailed process that leads to formation of breast milk.
Recently, Government made a new law providing for four days of paternity leave. Dr. Sam Okware, commissioner in charge of community health, says fathers should use this period to help their wives nurture the baby, including tender loving care to boost breast milk production.
Ugandan fathers have a lot to learn from the Crested Crane, Okware adds. The male and female crested cranes join hands in feeding their young ones.
In that sense, says Okware, male crested cranes are wiser than those fathers who leave the entire baby care to their wives. “Because children are jointly born out of love, they have to be jointly breastfed and nurtured out of love,†says Dr. Okware.
Many people think breastfeeding is a purely woman’s business. Wrong! A man can increase or reduce his wife’s production of breast milk.
According to psychology experts, the tender loving care that a man gives his wife boosts production of breast milk.
“It gives comfort and peace of mind to the breastfeeding mother, which in turn increases the quantity of breast milk,†says Dr. Janet Nambi, head of the Makerere University Institute of Psychology.
On the other hand any stress imposed on a breastfeeding mother, whether through harassment or negligence, reduces milk production, says Nambi.
Ursula Wangwe, a nutritionist with the Ministry of Health, agrees with Nambi. She explains that psychological stress interferers with the detailed process that leads to formation of breast milk.
Recently, Government made a new law providing for four days of paternity leave. Dr. Sam Okware, commissioner in charge of community health, says fathers should use this period to help their wives nurture the baby, including tender loving care to boost breast milk production.
Ugandan fathers have a lot to learn from the Crested Crane, Okware adds. The male and female crested cranes join hands in feeding their young ones.
In that sense, says Okware, male crested cranes are wiser than those fathers who leave the entire baby care to their wives. “Because children are jointly born out of love, they have to be jointly breastfed and nurtured out of love,†says Dr. Okware.