Breastfeeding has plenty of benefits to both mother and baby, including lowering the baby’s risk for certain diseases, promoting a baby’s healthy weight gain, and increasing the physical and emotional bond between the parent and child, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
But one Florida couple found that breastfeeding had a special benefit for their relationship as well.
Rachel Bailey not only nursed the three children she shares with her husband Alexander, but she made time to nurse their father as well. The couple enjoyed the experience so much that when their youngest stopped nursing, they considered adding a fourth child to their family to keep the party going.
“I was breastfeeding both my son and my husband, and then one day, my son was just no longer interested in my breast milk at all,” Rachel said. “I continued feeding Alexander for about two weeks, but it was like my body knew that my son no longer needed the milk, and it was all gone.”
In a 2023 interview, Rachel said it all started when the couple went on a cruise and forgot the breast pump. After being engorged for three days, she needed some relief from all of that backed-up milk. Alexander happily volunteered to help her out and he hasn’t stopped nursing since. The couple wrote about their experience in a 2023 book, “Milkn’ It.”
Believe it or Not, Adult Breastfeeding is a Thing
As Donna Murray, RN, BSN told Parents.com, adult breastfeeding is not only safe, it’s perfectly normal. In addition to fulfilling a sexual fantasy, the act of nursing has some practical benefits as well, including helping to increase milk production and preventing clogged milk ducts and engorgement.
“Sharing this intimate experience with another adult can be satisfying for both of you, and it could bring you closer together as a couple,” Murray said.
The Baileys say they decided against going for baby number four and have since found other ways to bond, including waking up early to meditate together and embarking on a new business venture. But she adds that they still get weird requests about her breast milk on social media every now and then.
“I still have people asking me every day if they can buy my breastmilk. I have even had people asking if they can meet up with me so that I can breastfeed them too,” she said. “We had lots of requests from people asking us to make videos of ourselves breastfeeding, but we never considered it although I’m sure the money would have been nice.”