Breastfeeding: one man’s perspective
To provide insight, from a male’s perspective, into breastfeeding’s significance for mothers, children and society, I will draw on my memories of childhood, my formative family experiences, my life and work in a variety of cultures on five continents, my career in international public health nutrition, and my passionate commitment to breastfeeding and human-milk feeding for children everywhere.
James’ credentials: a mammal since 1944, a dad since 1974, and a granddad since 2000. Being male in no way disqualifies someone from adopting a pro-breastfeeding perspective. We don’t need to be scientists to conclude that we won’t achieve our developmental potential if we fail to consume the unique first food that is tailor-made for us.Breastfeeding is neither a woman’s issue nor a man’s issue. It is a human issue of fundamental importance to us all.
by James Akre, BA, MPIA
With degrees in sociology and public and international affairs, and course work in public health at the master’s level, his international public health and human development career spans more than five decades, including a combined total of 30 years with the International Labour Office and UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund), and the World Health Organization in the field of international public health nutrition; and seven years promoting rural development and public health in Turkey, Cameroon and Haiti.
He has also served as a member of the editorial board and a reviewer for the International Breastfeeding Journal; a reviewer for the journals Pediatrics and Maternal & Child Nutrition, and for the Danish Council for Independent Research; a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of La Leche League France; and a member (2004-2010) of the Board of Directors of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE).
