Christmas(❤)Milk

Jennifer's 9 month old son, Casey, Christmas Eve Morning ~ Nursing and taking a nap ♥

Throughout the Christmas celebrations occurring around the world, little ones are indulging in one of the very best gifts their mommas can give them - milk! In celebration, many have sent in their photos of babes grabbing a snack on Christmas. Unfortunately, oodles have already been removed due to lactiphobic flaggers from the Christmas (❤) Milk album on Facebook, so we'll treasure them here as well. You all have splendidly beautiful "Santa Babies!"

To add your photo to the collection, email to DrMomma.org@gmail.com, upload to the peaceful parenting wall on Facebook, or share to The Breastfeeding Group: www.FB.com/groups/Breastfed with a note that it is for the gallery. [This gallery began in 2008 and is being 'bumped' once each year in December for continued celebration at DrMomma.org. We welcome your additions.]

Bree's Santa Baby enjoying some of the really good stuff this Christmas! ♥

 Kristin writes, "Merry Christmas to all you breastfeeding mommies across the globe, from my 1 week old son ♥"

Bailey's 3 month old son, Dylan, is having his Christmas Eve Lunch ♥

 Emily's Little Santa, Danika, 17 months this Christmas Day ♥

Chelsea nurses her two-year-old to sleep, Christmas Eve ♥

Amy's 3 month old, Lilah, having her Chanukah Milkies ♥

Natalie's 3 month old son, Jonathan Karol, enjoying his Christmas morning milks. Natalie writes, "This picture is even more precious to me because Jonathan was released from the hospital just 2 days before Christmas. He'd spent several days in the PICU due to sudden bouts of seizures that left him non-responsive. Thanks be to God, after dozens of painful tests and 2 full days of not being allowed to nurse, the cause - a small cyst in his brain - was determined, and we were allowed to return home. Thanks to his anti-seizure meds - and LOTS of mommy's milk - he's back to his smiley, laughing, playful self...the best Christmas gift EVER!" ♥

Dana's 11.5 month old son, Nicholai Luccas, eating his momma milk on Christmas Eve. ♥

Annie's 14 month old nurses on Christmas Eve ♥

♥ Niki's BabyClaus #2 who she says is "taking a sip of the pure, and wishing everyone a Silent Night (for those with children over 3 anyway..." ;) 

 

Emilee's Santa Baby, Noah, 11 months ♥

 Lindsay's 13 month old, Myiah, peacefully nursing amongst the chaos ♥

 Meredith's little one enjoys some Christmas Milk at 19 days old ♥

 A little Christmas snack. Christina's son, almost 5 months old. ♥

 

Rebekah's 3 day old newborn, Eisley, enjoying her milk as she takes her first bath! ♥

"Opening all those gifts will make anyone sleepy...and a little warm Mommy Milk will make it all better. Zachary's first Christmas! 6 weeks old." 
From his mom, Melody. ♥

Christine's Tiny Santa ♥

Peppermint Breastmilk?!

Kathleen's daughter, Amelia, on Christmas. ♥

Jodi's 7 month old, Olivia, 7 nursing Christmas Morning. ♥

Christmas morning yummies for Rachel's 14.5 month old. ♥

Sharon's milk drunk Christmas boy with his new Sophie Giraffe. 5 weeks old. ♥ 

(Sophie is a great teether & friend for little ones)

Alena's daughter has a snack in the car while Christmas shopping ♥

Lynn's son Liam is just one day shy of 11 months old in this Christmas photo. ♥

Niki's "MiniClaus" grabs a bite of something sweet. ♥

 

Meredith says, "My husband insisted I upload this one, he says it's better than the other one I uploaded." 

Talbot's 1st Christmas at 19 days old. ♥

Jen's Baby Celso (3.5 months old) and his Christmas snack. ♥

Daria's little one gets the best gift there is! ♥

Has anyone else been attacked under the Christmas tree?! 

Danelle has ~ by a hungry 16 month old! ♥

 Cynthia's son, Ethan, enjoying mama's milk on his first Christmas (3.5 months old) ♥

 

Margrét's 11 month old, Bríet Alda (11.8kg) enjoying her Christmas Dinner. ♥

"The Bean and I" ~Karla on Christmas morning ♥

 "Babies need milk breaks while opening presents on their first Christmas. 

Mama's milk, the best gift I gave him this year! ♥ Nearly 5 month old Jack" ~Trisha

 

Jacki's little one takes a Christmas Eve snooze... ♥

Looks like a beautiful Christmas full of love and gentle mothering at Nikki's house. ♥

Moxie wishes all the breastfeeding mamas of the world a Merry Christmas ♥

Georgina's little reindeer grabbing a snack ♥

"My darling daughter Yoshabelle enjoying her Christmas Milk." ~Moxie ♥

"Christmas Milk" from Jessica and her little one ♥

"Taking a break from the morning hustle and bustle to snuggle for some Christmas Milk on Trevor's first Christmas! 
(he's almost 8 months)" ~from his mom, Dorothy ♥

Alex says, "Christmas fun wore us out, but daddy did get us some AWESOME activist apparel!! :)" ♥

 Cheri says, "I started to get a little blue seeing all of the Christmas breastfeeding pics. I SO wish I could include one of my Sam and I...then I realized...heck! I breastfed on Christmas too! It may be through an NG tube into his duodenum but Christmas marked day 150ish of pumping for Sam...so, here's our pic :) Someday soon I hope to finally try and feed him naturally! For now! Merry Christmas From Sam and me." ♥ Learn more about Sam's story at "Sam I Am"

Alicia's "Christmas Nursling," Tessa, 20 months ♥

Nichole's 13 month old "Christmas Nurser" Maggie ♥

Cathy's son, Jacob (12 months), having his Christmas lunch. ♥

 Nela nurses her 15 month old, Ana, in a busy mall in Hong Kong on the second day of Christmas ♥

 Kristie's 11 month old son getting himself some Christmas Milk ♥

Erin's 14 month old, Marley, playing peek-a-boob in her new Christmas sweater ♥

 Karah's 17 month old, Fiona, getting her "Christmas Eve milkies" ♥

Rochelle's 12 week old, Elliot, enjoying his Christmas morning while his sisters open his gifts and theirs. ♥

 Tricia's 14.5 month old, Aliya, getting a snack after unwrapping her gifts ♥

 Tasha's 11-day-old, Arik, enjoying his Christmas turkey dinner ♥

Lana says, "What I love most about this photo is that I am feeding my son on the couch, with all of the family right there in the same room, amidst all the holiday celebrating ~ the way it should be! Just normal and natural. We shouldn't have to be sequestered in some other room, away from everyone, just because Luke needs to eat. And no, my family is not 'crunchy'!" ♥

 Natalie's "little lush" in her Christmas jammies ♥

 Alisha's little one having some Christmas Milk ♥

Farrah's son, Avery, nursing on Christmas Day ♥  

 Jennifer's son, 1 year old, grabs a Christmas time snack during the birthday party for his older sister ♥

Marissa's little santa eating his milk & cookies ♥

Kira's 12 month old grabs some Christmas morning milk with his buddy, Baba, 
who he has his momma 'nurse' sometimes too. ♥

Petra's 19 month old twin son, Jacob, being comforted during the Christmas Eve dinner. 
Petra did not realize he would later be up ill all night while his brother slept peacefully... ♥

Angela's 8 month old lil Santa, Zachary, enjoys his Christmas Milk. ♥

Amber and her kiddos made this nursing snow momma and her babe while outside playing today.

 Allie's beautiful two month old son, Wyatt, gets his Christmas Milk ♥

Elysia's son, Jeremiah (2 yrs), has some milk with his cookie! ♥

Santa Baby gets his milk too! Cartoon by Dan Reynolds

For helpful breastfeeding books, websites and articles see the Breastfeeding Resources Page.

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Deep, dark, red, purple, or blue: the normal glans in the intact child

By Danelle Day, PhD © 2014

Frequent questions arise when parents accidentally spot the normal penile glans ('head' of the penis) on their intact son when he is exploring his own body, usually as a very young child. This occurs most frequently between the ages of 3-5, and is nothing to be alarmed by. Girls and boys will both explore their genitals, and while it is a good idea to have clean hands, or do so in the bath to reduce bacteria/viruses present on the hands, there is nothing wrong with retraction, poking, probing, pulling, by a child him/herself.

However, we've been conditioned culturally in the United States to see anything that is deep, dark, red, purple or blue as potentially problematic - blood, veins, the insides of the body, etc. When this shade represents a normal coloring of a organ or body part, it typically means that this part of the body is meant to be internal for the majority (or all) of its existence. So it is the case with the glans of the penis or clitoris on the human child, and tends to be this deep, dark shade regardless of exterior body skin color.

The prepuce ('foreskin' or 'clitoral hood') is designed as an important protective organ over the glans, keeping it internal, moist, warm, balanced in pH and microflora, and preventing damage to the many sensitive nerve endings and blood vessels just beneath the surface. The deep, dark coloring is thanks to these rich beds of nerves and blood vessels - necessary for normal sexual functioning such as lifelong vascocongestion (the swelling with blood during arousal and for erection) and sensory response (everything from pulling back when something doesn't feel good, to the powerful sensations of orgasm). Both girls and boys have a glans colored in such a way (if they have remained intact from birth). Parents tend to spot the glans more often in their exploring-sons than daughters simply because the glans is much larger on boys. The majority of the penis is outside the body = larger external glans, larger prepuce; the majority of the clitoris is housed inside the body, requiring less external coverage = smaller external glans, smaller prepuce.

It is only when the prepuce is removed from the body (via the genital cutting of circumcision) that the glans must struggle to compensate for its unnatural exposure as a newly external organ (something it was not designed to be). When this occurs, the glans must callus over with skin layers to protect itself - changing the coloring from a deep, dark, red, purple or blue color to a lighter, 'dry' looking shade that typically matches the body's external skin more closely. These protective layers are not a natural, original feature of the human body, and prevent the underlying nerve endings and blood vessels of the glans to function in their normal manner. A change of form, in this case, equals a change in function. Many adult men who had their prepuce forcefully removed as infants, and the glans exposed for a lifetime, may opt for foreskin restoration, which can bring back a portion of the glans' original state.

Parents whose sons and daughters have maintained their full genitalia can rest easy, knowing that this internal glans coloring is normal, natural and healthy. Should irritation, inflammation, or redness occur on the external prepuce during the rough-and-tumble early days of childhood (also common for a baby in diapers or a child who is regularly exploring him/herself), using coconut oil and/or Calmoseptine (which can be requested at any local pharmacy) at the first sign will calm, soothe and allow the prepuce to regulate itself quickly. When applying, it is important to remember to only place ointment on the outside of the genitals. It will work its own way in, and never should there be retraction or manipulation of the foreskin/clitoral hood by anyone other than the child whose body it belongs to.

Note: an image of the glans is purposefully not included with this article because to obtain one a child must be forcibly retracted or circumcised,
both of which damage the prepuce and violate a child's genital autonomy.

Further related materials can be found at the Intact Care Resource Page:
http://www.drmomma.org/2009/06/how-to-care-for-intact-penis-protect.html

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