Dad Shows Just The Kind Of Support A Breastfeeding Mom Needs

Just because dads don’t breastfeed doesn’t mean they can’t help out in other ways

The early stages of having a baby can be tricky. Both parents are exhausted, and new moms – particularly breastfeeding moms, (it’s okay if you don’t, of course; fed is best!) – are usually forced to take on the lion’s share of the work. It’s just biology.

Dads don’t necessarily have it easy either. I had my second kid just five months ago, and there are times I feel totally useless around him. Not only was he colicky for a while, he wouldn’t take a bottle at all, and he didn’t seem to like me much. Nothing seemed to calm him down except being fed by his Mommy, and being soothed by his Mommy. It made me feel worthless, both for failing to help the baby and being unable to help my wife.

But as the father in a Facebook photo that’s going viral clearly understands, just because dads can’t breastfeed doesn’t mean they can’t help.

Emily Webber posted a photo of her husband blow-drying her hair while she breastfed their baby, and she praised her husband for stepping in. As any parent knows, nothing is more time-consuming than raising kids, and sometimes making yourself look good is the last thing on your priority list. Sometimes you need someone to help you multitask.

She added in the comments, “And the best part is I didn’t even ask he offered! Can’t get any better then that! Take notes dads, every mommy is gonna want this kinda chivalry!!”

I could go on and on about how low the bar is for dads these days, but I’ve done that before. Several times. But that doesn’t matter to Emily. All that matters is that her husband is making an effort. And that her hair ends up looking halfway decent. I know if I went anywhere near my wife’s head with a blow-dryer and a brush, she’d probably end up looking like Phil Spector.

Parenting is a team effort. We may not be able to perform, or be as good at performing, all of the same tasks, but we all need to pitch in when and where we can. Whether its breastfeeding, bath time, making dinner or helping with homework. Just because dads can’t breastfeed doesn’t mean we can’t help out in countless other ways. And as Emily Webber’s husband demonstrated, not every bit of help has to be directly linked to the baby.

Sometimes just giving mom a hand goes a long way towards letting her get the tiny bit of head space she needs to continue caring for your newborn. So get to it, men; pick up a brush and a blow-dryer and help a mother out! Just make sure you don’t rip out any of her hair.