How can I make sure my husband doesn't feel excluded when I breastfeed?
With public awareness messages promoting breastfeeding, talks with your doctor and family members, chances are your husband is well informed about the importance of breastfeeding. So he’s likely to be supportive when you breastfeed.
If your husband wants to know more, you could spend time together reading up on the benefits of breastmilk. This way, he’ll understand your reasons for breastfeeding and have a better idea of what to expect.
However, it’s possible your husband may feel left out because all of your attention is now focused on your baby.
Also, in many households having a baby is an affair for the entire family, and dads aren’t usually as involved with taking care of the baby. And, if you observe confinement a family member or dai will probably help out with your baby’s daily routine instead of your husband.
But with a growth in nuclear families, more and more new dads want to play a greater role in taking care of their babies.
Just supporting you, and encouraging you, is a wonderful thing for your husband to do. Research shows a spouse's support can make a big difference, especially in the initial days, when both your baby and you are getting used to breastfeeding.
Happily, your husband can be involved even when you breastfeed your baby, such as burping her after a feed. There are so many other ways for your husband to bond with your baby:
- reading or singing a lullaby
- giving her a massage
- soothing and talking to her when she’s upset
- dressing and changing nappies
- bathing
All these things are important times for interacting with your baby, and they can be done by either of you, or both of you together. You could get your husband to take care of your baby by himself for short periods of time initially.
You may get resistance from relatives who consider child care to be only a woman’s domain. Talking to your husband about such criticism may help you both figure out how you want to tackle the situation.