Monday, September 15, 2008

Daddies are Free from Poopy Diaper Changes

Of all the things that are blog-worthy from the book "Baby Matters: What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Caring for Your Baby," I'm choosing this topic first.

Linda Palmer writes on page 124:
"We also know that when mothers stay close to baby and are exposed to baby's saliva via kisses and stools during diaper changes, this helps mother provide appropriate immune factors to baby through her milk. The "enteromammary pathway" is the name given to the process by which mother supplies specific immune factors in her milk according to what she has been exposed to....High levels of sanitation between the nursing mother and her infant can prevent this valuable transaction from occuring."

That, to me, is an interesting fact. I didn't realize that there was a biological purpose to diaper changes and handling poop. Of course, when I shared that finding with my husband his first response was, "You mean I don't have to change diapers anymore?"

Aside from the egalitarian virtue of sharing responsibility with the mother of one's child, why not?

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