Of Men and La Leche League
Yes, men support breastfeeding too!
This is just an amusing story. The other day at my husband’s work, there was a “baby expo.” His company is very family-friendly (very flexible on part-time, work-from-home, pumping rooms for moms, etc.), and so twice a year they throw this baby expo for all the parents in the company.
So, he decided to head on down and see what it was all about.
Most of the tables really weren’t that interesting. I mean, we don’t need more baby things, we aren’t seeking a new doctor or hospital (ha), and so on. It was really aimed at first-time mainstream parents…and we aren’t either of those things.
But then he saw the La Leche League table.
Now, my husband is a big supporter of breastfeeding. He’s totally behind me on extended and tandem nursing, and honestly knows more about the benefits (and reality) than many women I know. And, he’s not afraid to share it.
So, he heads over to the table. There are two women staffing it, he guessed they were probably around 60. And he says to them (paraphrasing): “I just wanted to let you know I think it’s awesome that you’re here, I’m a big supporter of extended and tandem breastfeeding, both of which my wife does.” He may have said some other stuff; I don’t really remember what he told me and I wasn’t there.
Apparently the women were in complete awe. I mean, a man, alone, in his mid-20s, approaching a breastfeeding organization to tell them how awesome it is? I guess maybe that’s practically unheard of.
So, he went on, describing my breastfeeding experience (nursing past age 3, nursing during pregnancy, tandem nursing, etc.). Now, even for a LLL leader, that’s pretty unusual. Which I am not, by the way. I went to a few meetings when my son was little, but I’ve just been, um, rather busy. 
So I haven’t been back.
I guess they were so awed by my unusual experience and his strong support that they wanted us to come and speak somewhere? I’m not so clear on the details! They said things like, “You’re a wonderful young father!” and so on, as he described his role in supporting me.
Anyway, I just thought it was awesome that my husband spoke to the LLL on his own about supporting breastfeeding, and how awed they were that he did!
Does your husband/partner support breastfeeding?
Top image by Daquella Manera
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Awesome! My hubby was like that. I was a LLL Leader for about 12 years. I’m sure they were very appreciative of his comments. It’s so very important for dads to be supportive– I’m sure that’s why they were thinking that you both speaking to prospective parents would be very good “peer pressure” for dads to be supportive and knowledgeable. Honestly, when we first started having children, my dh was in the Navy and there happened to be several other young families just starting out, had our babies within a few months of each other, etc. The topic of conversation at mealtime for them (on their sub!) was often nursing, co-sleeping, etc. And I got in with a great group of wives who were going to LLL so that’s how it all began for us…
I don’t think I could have BF without my husband’s support. I remember him literally feeding me while I was feeding the baby.
My hubby was also very instrumental in me breastfeeding as long as I did with our first child and will be that much more so instrumental when our second arrives in just a few weeks! He continued to encourage me whenever I was ready to give up. That’s awesome that your hubby is so supportive!
My husband was very supportive of me when I was breastfeeding and “extended” nursing. My youngest child is about to turn 13. My daughter just had her first baby, a boy, making me a grandma. Her husband is also very supportive of her and is helping her to get established with breastfeeding. The baby is a month old.