Supporting the father when an infant is breastfed

Abstract

Breastfeeding is the best form of infant nutrition for mother and infant, but because it perpetuates the exclusive mother-infant relationship that existed during pregnancy, the father may feel excluded, jealous, and resentful to the detriment of breastfeeding success and the adult couple relationship. Supporting the father during breastfeeding may help improve the mother's satisfaction with breastfeeding, duration of breastfeeding, and adaptation of both parents to parenting. This paper provides recommendations for education and support related to breastfeeding based on recent research findings on the male experience of expectant and new parenthood. Recommendations based on these findings focus on anticipatory guidance about breastfeeding, anticipatory guidance to support the adult couple relationship during the transition to parenthood, and ways to enhance the father-infant relationship.