'Breast-feeding dads' help cut infant mortality
The Jakarta Post - The Journal of Indonesia Today
Features - February 29, 2004
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
"The term 'breast-feeding fathers' does not describe a new technology enabling men to produce breast milk and then feed their babies. Breast-feeding fathers are husbands who are aware of the importance of breast milk -- the ultimate baby food -- and are getting involved in the breast-feeding process. A study by the United States' Department of Pediatrics found that fathers played a significant role in successful breast-feeding, meaning the good production and 'distribution' of breast milk. Its study of 115 postpartum mothers found that of those women whose husbands were not involved in the breast-feeding process, only 26.9 percent had no trouble breast-feeding. For those women whose husbands were involved in the process, the percentage of success was 98.1 percent. "