Mother’s Milk: Why Breastfeeding Can Be Frustrating for Stay-At-Home Dads

Levi Novey — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:06:29 +0000

There are many challenges that stay-at-home dads face. It should go without saying that one of the major battles is keeping one’s self-esteem and confidence high when societal norms have typically only allowed for women to be the primary caretakers of children. Many people still feel that this is the case.

As one father told me just weeks after my own daughter was born, “You have to realize, Levi, you really aren’t that important in the first year. It’s all about mom.” Of course, it makes sense that the bond between mother and baby should be stronger initially than that between the father and baby. As a father, you have not had your child growing inside you and using your body as his or her source of nourishment and as his or her protective home. But I still wonder, is it really fair to say that the first year is all about mom? And what does this mean for stay-at-home dads?

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Mother’s Milk: Why Breastfeeding Can Be Frustrating for Stay-At-Home Dads