The Feminist Pub is Open - Chat, Rant, or pull up a chair here!

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

This thread started when we all decided to imagine what the perfect local for feminists would be like. So far, it has taps with plenty of good real ale, and some decent non-alcoholic alternatives too. There are comfy chairs and there's a feminist film night, as well as lots of nice feminist-friendly books on the shelves and space to curl up and read. The open-mic nights are attracting feminist singers and comedians, and we're just sorting out the feminist creche.

Please come along, draw up a stool, and have a good chat about whatever you fancy - as serious or as trivial as you like.

For starters, I have a half-pint of lemonade. What can I get anyone?

Thanks for the link btw.

I watched Porn on the Brain and actually felt it did not go far enough tbh.

I want LRD's blog too!

Pacific - this article says National Dried Milk (it wasn't really formula then in our current sense) was part of rations and needed coupons. So maybe if you could find a wet nurse you could use your coupons for something else?

Hello all. Been lurking and just want to echo the calls for a link to LRD's blog please

How fascinating about wetnursing in war. I had no idea.

My mum was born in an air-raid in London as well but we don't know any more details - whether in air-raid shelter or just on the ward.

Is LRD not letting us link or may I?

Oh, sorry, the whole wet-nursing/FF thing was not in Britain, but yes, food coupons were in use also.

My gran's experience of pregnancy/labour/birth(s) would warrant a whole thread, nay, book of its own - she was totally unaware of how human reproduction worked and although she had worked out she was with child had no idea how it was going to get out until her waters broke and the sirens started.
When she had daughters she in turn told them nothing, so that my mum when she had a first period really thougth she was dying from internal bleeding.
To my mother's eternal credit she called a spade a spade from the very start with my brother and me .

Let's start a chant: L-R-D, L-R-D, L-R-D

I went to the imperial war museum a while back (after a feminist conference, actually!) and they had instructions for mixing dried milk powder with cod liver oil and concentrated orange juice. I suppose those would have come out of normal rations.

Women have always stepped up and fed other women's babies when there was a need for it. It seems as usage of formula has grown we have lost the knowledge that this is possible - and also, we have lost the need which I suppose can only be a good thing. But yes, any women who has breastfed in the past can wet-nurse even post menopause, and women who have never had children can induce lactation too but it takes longer.

10% of men can too, apparently, so they shouldn't feel left out

Erm, I fear you may be disappointed! I would like, but my computer has died again, and I'm on crap laptop.

That is amazing about women wet-nursing though. I read about a woman in the eighteenth century (?) who was producing milk well into her 60s. Guess it is that.

I think what I find interesting is that I have bf since 2009 almost without a break (yes, I'm a bit lentil weavy). I think I would feed another woman's baby if needed. Obviously not as a full time wet nurse, but in a situation like, oh I don't know, a broken down train and a friend's baby. But the taboo is so strong that I just wouldn't in real life. It is this amazing thing that women could do, but you just wouldn't.

Btw, penguins, I do know that is a big issue and I pick up other people for it, so thanks.

I'm feeling generous, so I'll let you off the comment about being disappointed . A MNer has just PMed me your blog and it looks fab. Looking forward to reading.

Thanks for the forgiveness! Soeey, really striggling on this com[uter!

Gah. As you see.

Snort. You can tell a weeeee bit

Off to bed. Night all.

Night.

Oh please, PM me too. May she, LRD? I'd love to read it.

My darling offspring have forced me to be far more lentil-weavery than I am by inclination and my BFing career is rather checkered (I did not particularly like BFing but did it with varying degrees of success).
Of course I'd feed somebody else's child in an emergency, but I'd feel awkward about it and would feel the need to do it in private/unwitnessed. Why??

Wrt to wetnursing: for a long time this was a highly valued and well-paid occupation for women. High-born woman had one baby after another and passing the latest newborn on to a wetnurse allowed for fertility to return quicker . Wetnurses were highly regarded members of rich households.

I need to know more about wetnursing!

I can't link, and MNHQ wouldm't be keen if I did, but if you google Jeanne de Montbaston, you should find me.

Do seriously want to catch up with this as it resonates. Just crap computer

I could have been a great wet-nurse (my ideal sit-on-my-arse but be very helpful sort of job!) and would feed a friend's baby if they let me asked me to. I fed every day for 8.5 years (only two DC !) Haven't quite tried that famous lentil weaving yet - sounds a bit tricky
But I'm kinda hoping I could have a try at feeding grandchildren one day
Interesting that 10% of men can lactate too - they kept that quiet didn't they ? I'll tell DH - he'll be interested to hear that as he's always going on about how come men can't BF - as from an evolutionary POV you'd think it'd be an advantage if they could?

Oh god - don't google male lactation.

I got so 'touched out' with BFing, no way would I ever volunteer for a career in BFing.

I am not so sure about the 10% - even if that was biologically possible, imagine the dedication/time/effort that would need to go into it. A lot of adoptive mothers who induce lactation don't necessarily achieve a full supply. Yes, milk production is triggered by milk removal, but some hormones need to be in place too.

Having said that, my granddad had a friend whose (drunken) party trick was to whip out a moob and spurt milk across the room - yes, he was a Prince Amongst Men. Idiot.

Oh, and thanks, LRD - I'll have a look tomorrow.
Time for bed, methinks.
Night, all.

I completely missed this thread when it started so haven't really joined in. I was really interested in the Pendle Witches discussion at the start (I may be from around them the parts). Did you know that there is a Pendle Witches Brew Surely that's got to be part of a feminist's pub

Another vote for LRDs blog. It's fascinating!

Male lactation - read about that in PoB. Is it cynical of me to think that if this were known more widely men would appropriate bfing too? Or maybe it was known more prolifically and in fact was more prolific but that it was one of those tasks that became exclusively women's work, because you know it's hard work and low status.

Or maybe I'm knackered and talking shit

Think I'll have to read PoB - it's been quite a big part of my parenting experience, and I know the promotion of ff is a massive problem in the developing world

I enjoyed it. Although some parts I found a bit 'holier than thou' and some of it is rage-enduring (against the corporations and men who decided that feeding babies needed a man's interference because women couldn't be trusted).

I thought some men could lactate but couldn't produce the volume of milk needed to exclusively feed a baby?