Dads have always been missing out on the pleasures of bonding with the baby through breastfeeding. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard new dads say “if I could, I would” when it comes to breastfeeding. But this amazing dad – wasn’t going to let the lack of breasts stop him from “breastfeeding” his baby! Yes, you read that right. This devoted dad found a way to breastfeed his baby when momma had to finish working.

Anthony Favors, a seasoned father of five from New York had to come up with this breastfeeding hack. His wife Shalanda was working and his youngest daughter, 10 months old was refusing to bottle feed. Being a dad of 5, Anthony was now well experienced and was thinking quickly what to do to calm his daughter down. On the spur of the moment, he got a brilliant idea and quickly cut a hole in his pink shirt. He placed a bottle of milk from inside and poked the bottle nipple through the hole.

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And suprise, suprise!! The result was a “breast” – good enough that it tricked his daughter into feeding from the bottle.

Anthony narrates his story!

“My daughter was confused at first, but after I pressed some milk out she realised what it was and started sucking. She loved it and it made her full, after which she went straight to sleep. I was so relieved that I had figured something out. I felt like the best dad in the entire world.”

And he sure is! Wouldn’t you agree? Anthony said that it was an “amazing feeling” to be able to “breastfeed” his baby girl and now feels closer than ever to his daughter.

“It’s amazing what a mother’s body can do for their children and the sacrifices they have to make. I see my wife breastfeed and I can see how hard it is. I’m so proud of her and everything she does. She is in so much pain sometimes, especially when our babies are teething and biting while breastfeeding. It makes me feel so good that I can give her a break from that and she doesn’t need to worry when she needs to head out or go to work. Mothers and fathers should both have equal responsibility for their children. It has given me so much confidence. It has made me feel so much closer to my baby girl. When she looks up at me with those eyes while she is feeding I can see how much she adores me.
I will keep doing this for as long as it takes. I’ll always be there for her when she needs me.”

In theory, science says that men’s nipples could actually produce milk, because they have the milk ducts and mammary tissue in place. The breast milk hormone prolactin and oxytocin can also be found in men. In fact there’ve been reports of men being able to produce milk through breast and nipple stimulation. In more “primitive cultures like that of the Aka Pygmy tribe from the northern Congo, fathers are known to offer their babies a nipple when mom is not available.

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Babies are content sucking on their mommies breasts as well on pacifiers, someone’s pinkie finger and even a bottle nipple. So does it really surprise us that babies will enjoy sucking on their father’s nipple as well?

We salute Anthony and really feel he is “Dad of the Year” for not letting his baby go hungry. Now the loving father uses the trick all the time. His only regret is that why he didn’t think of it earlier to use on his older children!!

Just like Anthony, Dads need not feel unhelpful around the baby. Here’s how fathers can help with baby:

• Let mom take rest: Just like the baby, moms also needs some attention. So dads can help out by keeping the food or snacks ready, and taking on baby care duties so that moms can rest. Dads can even offer to give a head or foot massage, so that moms too feel pampered.
• Spend time bonding with baby: As a dad, you can also bond with your little one through the skin-to-skin by cuddling, singing, bathing and nestling baby on your chest. Communicate with your baby through songs, dance and cuddles. Babies love the skin-to-skin time with their dads.
• Change the diapers: Don’t immediately call for mommy when baby cries. Baby cries when he wets the diapers. In such case, you can change the diapers without disturbing the moms. And do a load of laundry while you’re at it.
• Burp the baby after breastfeeding: If you’re not able to help with feeding the baby, dads can always burp the baby afterwards and help baby settle down.
• Putting the baby to sleep: Some babies love to nurse to sleep, but some babies love getting rocked to sleep. Dads can use their strong arms to rock the baby to sleep. Sing a couple of lullabies to bond with the baby!
• Help Clean up: Babies are tiny, but their things take up a lot of space. Help with folding and putting away the laundry, doing some dusting and generally keeping the area around the baby clean. This will also prevent germs and chances of infection.
• Be a Moral Support: New moms are not often comfortable to breastfeed initially right after the delivery. So it’s daddy’s turn to make mom adapt to the changes. Encourage her, stay with her especially when she needs to feed the baby in public place. Moms feel more support when her partner is near and understands her effort while breastfeeding the baby.

Also Read: 10 Things that Babies get from their Dad!

We hope daddies found this information useful! Here’s wishing all dads a very Happy Father’s Day.

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