This new Japanese invention allows men to breastfeed their children and is now being bought up by new fathers across the world.
Created by Japanese company Dentsu, the ' Father's Nursing Assistant' allows men to carry milk and the baby to feed from an artificial nipple. The device wraps over one shoulder and the silicon nipple dispenses milked when sucked upon. It means that mothers no longer need to get up in the middle of the night or be present when their children are being fed. The device also replicates the closeness that a baby might not receive when if it was to be fed from a bottle.
But this isn't just a simple milk dispenser that is strapped to the father, the device comes with a whole host of features that really improves the experience. For instance, The Father's Nursing Assistant heats up and vibrates, replicating the temperature of milk that comes directly from the human body and even has devices that allows you to track your baby's sleeping pattern, sending the data straight to your smartphone.
In a press release, the company said:
"The amount of time infants in Japan spend sleeping is shorter compared to the rest of the world. Much of the parental stress and difficulties surrounding childrearing are related to feeding and sleeping, and generally, the rate of participation by fathers tends to be low. Breastfeeding is also effective at helping the parent sleep-a benefit that is currently skewed toward women. Focusing on breastfeeding, we aim to decrease the amount of burden on mothers and increase the number of time infants sleep by enabling fathers to breastfeed."
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The device will not only be useful for helping fathers when their partners are away or sleeping, it will also be useful for single-fathers and male-only couples.
Breastfeeding is highly recommended for young children. Breastmilk transfers not only nutrients but also powerful antibodies that improve the developing immune system. It also greatly improves the bond between parent and child. With this new invention, this closeness is something that no baby will miss out on.
The new invention is truly useful, but there are some even more unusual ideas coming onto the market, some of which are sure to raise an eyebrow. 'The Chestfeeding kit' being developed by Marie-Claire Springham involves a lab-created female hormone that will actually allow men to produce milk and breastfeed their own children. Springham says:
"This project began when I learnt about the code of silence that surrounds the issue of mental health and new parents. I was shocked to learn that over half of women experience emotional problems postnatally or during pregnancy and that new fathers also often suffer, experiencing feelings of exclusion and a fear of being 'unable to cope.' After learning that common trigger of postnatal depression for mothers is the pressure to breastfeed, I developed this kit to help couples support each other, as well as their new baby."
Quite how many men would sign-up to such an idea, and whether the idea passes medical testing, remains to be seen.
[h/t: Tiffy Taffy]
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