Lactation support conference in Ireland - the quiet part out loud

As society has become more (small-L) liberal, liberals have become afraid to pass judgement on libertines.

Biological males cannot lactate

The end

Men's feelings over babies' health. Breastfeeding mothers are so careful on what they consume, and these dudes think their drug-induced stuff is equivalent?? It's child abuse.

Why is any man who forces a child to suck his nipples not immediately arrested and charged with sexual abuse? Why does the fact that he identifies as trans make any difference at all? Why instead is he celebrated and supported in his decision to abuse a child?

How do you face the argument that says if it's okay for adopting women to try to induce lactation then why not men? I know female breasts are structured differently, but are both using the same drugs?

Vomit

A sign of how safeguarding babies and children has been de prioritised in favour of men who claim the right to explore "curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification” by abusing babies.

What a world where men like this are invited to conferences rather than being locked up. 😡

Very simply.
Only women give birth and babies are not there for men to experiment with their kinks or to disrupt the critical mother baby experience of breast feeding.

THIS - it is just not that complicated in a place where women and children actually matter.

Sexual gratification?

Oh my fucking God.

He's advocating that men use babies to suck on their nipples so they can orgasm.

It's an upfront, totally blatant, gleeful admission of child abuse.

Why hasn't he been arrested and his technology confiscated???

if that's not reasonable grounds to suspect that his laptop would show a crime, then what the fuck is???

edited to add, that even advocating for it as a crime

Publicly advocating, promoting, or encouraging child sexual abuse or exploitation is a serious criminal offense.

OK if it's all about adults "feeding" other consenting adults, then I'm standing down, that is harmless, knock yourself out.

But I'm afraid this man's advocacy is not restricted to that.

Who argues that?? I don't think most adopting mothers try to do that. For a start, most adoption is not of newborns.

In addition (and I’m happy to be corrected if I’ve got this wrong) once a woman has established lactation it continues without chemical intervention for as long as she breastfeeds regularly. She is capable of fully feeding an infant in exactly the same way as a woman whose lactation has been triggered by giving birth. A man, on the other hand, can only continue to produce galactorrhea with continuing chemical intervention as well as continuing mechanical stimulation of his breast tissue. And because he has male levels of breast tissue he can never produce enough galactorrhea to sustain an infant.

I’ve just had a disgusting thought. Not quite as disgusting as men wanting to use babies as props for their sexual gratification, but not far off.

There will no doubt be men who are turned on by their own galactorrhoea in the absence of babies, too. So This witchdoctor condones reducing the support available to breastfeeding women by diverting some of it to teaching men who to gratify their kink or fetish.

As an ex-breastfeeding supporter, I did not sign for this.

Also, although some personal advantages of breastfeeding are sold to women to encourage them to breastfeed, (personally I could never really get beyond 'free' and 'no need to sterilise anything') extended breastfeeding beyond the point that it is seen to benefit the child nutritionally is generally regarded as weird.

Also, the same reason as anyone else… “lesser extent for curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification.” No. Women don’t breastfeed for fun curiosity or sexual gratification. They breastfeed to promote the baby’s wellbeing, to feed the baby. Often at significant costs in terms of mastitis, cracked nipples etc.

Only men attempt this for curiosity, fun, or sexual gratification.

And the difference between men and adoptive mums, @Mmmnotsure , is that the women’s breasts are being stimulated to do something they naturally would. To trigger milk production for their natural purpose, which is then sustained by the baby and breast together.
Men, not so much.

Who was the convention for?
Not women in need of lactation support.

Thanks for your answers.

I wish that saying no were enough to stop these men.

It would be good if the simple fact that this is only something for a woman to do were enough to stop the encroachments.

The argument that adoptive mothers and men inducing lactation is both groups are doing the same thing, is made quite often.

I understand re the stimulating something natural in women as opposed to men, but then you get the argument that it's artificially induced and the baby takes in medication in both cases. Perhaps that's the same as TiMs saying they are taking HRT when it's not replacement.

I'm totally fine with saying that adoptive mothers, and the wife of the birthing mother in a lesbian couple, shouldn't induce lactation. I don't think that should be controversial. Breastfeeding is for mothers who have just given birth.

Babies shouldn't have to be "inclusive" with who breastfeeds them. It's not an equal opportunities activity.

Everyone I knew back in the Dark Ages stopped breastfeeding shortly after the first two teeth that met each other came through and the baby started to bite them! But then, we were regarded as weirdos for breastfeeding at all, in those days; bottle was thought by hospitals to be ever so much better.

They were wrong about bottles being better - but you do need to teach a new style of latch when the baby has opposing teeth. Unfortunately a lot of the wisdom around these techniques has been lost. I think even so-called lactation consultants often get a lot of advice wrong because they base advice on (low quality) small scale "research", partially by men, rather than passed-down knowledge derived from real breastfeeding mothers. For example the erroneous advice about staying on the same breast to get the "hindmilk" leading to lots of mothers reducing their supply.

I have a very dim view of most of the lactation consultant industry. I think the best work is done by volunteer peer supporters (mothers who actually breastfeed)

How many of these consultants are women? How many, no matter how progressive and trans inclusive they might be, would have been triggered by his words? How many would have vocalized this, even if just to colleagues at the event?
How many would have been sufficiently disgusted to object openly?
Or were most of the attendees ok with his words?