Breastmilk porn

Yep.  It's out there, ladies and gentlemen.  There are men (and maybe some women, who knows) who get turned on by lactating women. 

Don't get me wrong, I think breastfeeding is one of the most beautiful things in the world.  I mean, what else can't women do?  We can make and sustain human life.  I think it's amazing.  But to squeeze milk out of your boobies for the pleasure of hundreds of random people?  Weird.

Anyhow, on my search for pictures of darkened and enlargened breasts and nipples, I, understandably, encountered a lot of porn sites.  "Big jugs and guys who love 'em" proclaimed the URL of one of them.  I rolled my eyes and scrolled down the screen until I saw the title "Large Areolas."  I thought it was a safe bet, but ooooooh no.  It wasn't.  It was a blog devoted to women who lactate.  I've heard of all sorts of fetishes before: foot fetishes, back-of-knee fetishes, even zit-popping fetishes.  But never a lactation fetish. 

I don't know, I guess I can't judge what people like doing behind closed doors, but it just shocked me to see something that I consider to be so necessary and important and beautiful degraded to being just some shocking porn material for whoever enjoys that sort of thing.  What effing weirdos.

Since I can't possibly end a blog on people who watch lactating porn (because I'm several hours away from my nightly shower), I'll end it with what I think is so great about breastfeeding.

I'll be the first to admit that I used to look away whenever a woman would start breastfeeding her child in public.  However, partly because I learned a lot about breastfeeding in my public health program and partly because I have a really great mentor in the program (an epidemiologist) who is one of the leaders of the La Leche League, I've come to realize that breastfeeding your baby is just as natural as anything else you could do and arguably more important since your breastmilk is what gives the infant much-needed antibiotics and calories.  Babies' systems are not made to process any other kind of milk.  Formula, although useful when needed, doesn't provide the same amount of protection and benefits as breastmilk does.  It's nature's most perfect food.  And I get to make it soon!  So, below, for your own knowledge and entertainment, are some interesting facts (and opinions) about breastmilk and breastfeeding.

1. The number one component of breastmilk is fat.  Not the kind of fat that we as adults love and crave (mmmmmm....fish and chips....), but the good kind of fat that may help to stave off cholesterol problems when your baby is an adult.
2. Babies that are exclusively breastfed for 6 months or longer exhibited higher IQ than those fed formula (not sure how good the study was that gave this statistic, but....)
3. Mammary glands are just modified sweat glands.
4. There are 400 nutrients found in breastmilk that are not found in formula.  400!
5. Breastfed babies' poops don't smell bad; formula-fed babies' poops do.  Same goes for their throw-up.
6. This is kinda cool: mothers can make antibodies on demand for the babies.  If the baby has a germ, it can pass it to the mom via breastfeeding, the mother makes the antibody in the breast, and the antibody is passed back to the baby through breastfeeding.
7. Breastfeeding releases feel-good hormones (endorphins) in the mother which makes her happy.
8. A woman's breastmilk does not become "sour" if the baby hasn't breastfed in a few days.  
9. One of my friend's baby preferred her mom's breastmilk after she drank some white wine but not after she drank red wine.
10. Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories...up to 500 a day!  It helps you get back to your pre-pregnancy weight a lot faster.
11. Women who fear breastfeeding in public make me laugh. I've seen these horrendous cape-like things online and in pregger magazines that women can buy that are loudly patterned and that you could wear to cover up your entire body while you're breastfeeding.  Do people who have to feed a crying infant really care what other people think?  Honestly, if people in public can't get over the fact that a baby is being fed what it's supposed to be fed, they could look the other way and grow up.