Ask Andy and Britt

Who are we? Britt and Andy (that's our smiling faces in the cheesy picture to the left!)are a married couple living in Ottawa, Ontario with 3 daughters - aged 6 3/4 (very important the 3/4!), 4 and 4 (yes, twins!). Britt is the founder of Milkface Nursingwear, Andy has recently joined the company. What can you ask us? Well, we've got opinions on everything! Ask us about breastfeeding, ask us about parenting, ask us about running a business, ask us about milkface products, ask us about babywearing - surprise us!

Today's question - Do dads really feel left out when moms breastfeed?

Andy says: No. But there were times when our first wanted nothing to do with me and only wanted Britt. Not a great feeling. Was that a result of breastfeeding? Probably somewhat but also, likely, a reflection of the comforting that Britt, solely, offered during her difficult times - all the time. The same did not occur with our second and third daughters.

Britt says: I'll have to defer to my husband on this one but I've always thought not. The relationship between mom and baby is the primary one for at least the first few months - and breastfeeding is certainly one reason for that. My belief is that dad's role for the first little bit is to support the mom/baby couple. There are so many ways dads can bond with their babies - baths in our house have always been Andy's responsibility, he also shared in diaper changes (don't underestimate the value of the eye contact and littls games you play to keep them entertained!) and did a great deal of the pacing the floor with a colicky baby.

What do you think?