Who would have thought that you needed to take a class to learn how to breastfeed? I knew it wasn't a foregone conclusion that every woman breastfeeds but I figured it was pretty easy and there wasn't much to it. I couldn't have been more WRONG!
My wife signed up for a breastfeeding class upon the recommendation of several friends and family members. When she asked me to go I joyously accepted the challenge. 3 hours talking about breasts… What heterosexual man wouldn't be intrigued? What I got wasn't what I bargained for.
First of all, I must say that I was pretty proud of the male representation at the class. Almost every pregnant woman had her partner there and the men were just as participatory in the class as the women. Having said that, there were some moments where you could tell the guys got uncomfortable. Talking about chapped nipples and colostrum is not sexy, lets be honest. There is nothing like dissecting the anatomy of a breast or discussing what happens to a nipple when the child latches to make you look at breasts in a totally different way.
Then there was the one story that horrified most men in the room. The instructor explained that when a woman who is still breastfeeding a child has an orgasm, it is possible for the release to cause milk to come shooting out of her breasts. She knew a man that was covered with breast milk while his wife was on top. Talk about scaring a man for life… I guess you have to maintain your sense of humor during this process.
On the whole, the class was an amazingly interesting experience where I learned a great deal and now know that there is way more about breastfeeding then I ever thought possible. This was yet another eye opening experience. Each day I gain even more respect and deference to the women in my life for all the sacrificing they do to bring another human into this world. My wife (and mother) is amazing!
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