Erotic lactation

Erotic lactation is the breastfeeding of an adult partner primarily for erotic reasons. Depending on the context, other terms can refer to the practice, including "adult suckling", "adult nursing", "adult breastfeeding". Person involved in the practice are said to in an adult nursing relationship (ANR). Two persons in an exclusive relationship can also be called a "nursing couple" (though this term is also sometimes used for a mother and her child).

"Milk fetishism" and "lactophilia" are medical, diagnostic terms for paraphilias, and are used for disorders according to the precise criteria of ICD-10 and DSM-IV. These terms are not used in this article.^[1]

Additional recommended knowledge

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Introduction

Breasts, and especially nipples, are highly erogenous zones, both for men and women. One hypothesis assumes that during evolution, women prevailed who were motivated by physical pleasure to nurse their babies in the best possible way. The same holds true for the lips, also erogenous zones where pleasure may have led to "kiss feeding", in which mothers chew food before passing it on to the child.^[2]

Because female breasts and nipples are normally an important part of sexual activities and perception, it is not surprising that couples may proceed from intensive kissing of the nipples to actual breastfeeding. In lesbian partnerships, mutual breastfeeding has been regarded as a familiar expression of affection and tenderness.^[3]

In its Sunday issue of March 13, 2005, the London daily The Times gave a report of a scientific survey (composed of 1690 British men) revealing that in 25 to 33% of all couples, the male partner had suckled his wife's breasts. Regularly the men gave a genuine emotional need as their motive.^[4]

Beyond these, there exist hardly any reports or investigations. Nevertheless, from European Middle Ages a multitude of subliminally erotic visionary experiences of saints have been passed on in which breastfeeding plays a major role. One prominent example is the Lactatio of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux^[5]. Generally speaking this was a rather strong taboo, and it can be concluded that an adult man suckling for milk is in contradiction to well established images of masculinity.

Unintended milk flow (Galactorrhea) is often caused by nipple stimulation and it is possible to reach normal milk production exclusively by suckling on the breast.

Varieties of erotic lactation

• Lactation games: "Mainstream erotic lactation". Any kind of sexual activity which includes the woman's milk. Very widespread in the time after child birth because many women experience a let-down reflex (releasing milk) while sexually aroused.^[6]

• Adult Nursing Relationship (ANR): Suckling from the female breast as an expression of close intimacy and mutual tenderness. The relationship of both partners is based on equality and mutuality. Adult Nursing Relationships depend on a stable and long term relationship of the couple, otherwise it is nearly impossible to maintain a steady milk flow. On the other hand it is frequently reported that breastfeeding has a strong stabilizing effect on the partnership.^[7] The breastfeeding woman may experience orgasms or a pleasurable let-down reflex, but that need not be necessarily so, as the most significant reason to enter into an ANR is the intense bonding and intimacy experienced (and frequently reported) by nursing couples. An ANR has also proven effective in some cases where a mother, desirous of breast feeding, was either unable or had difficulty beginning lactation, or where breast feeding was interrupted for an extended period of time as the result of taking prescription medication which may have proven harmful to a newborn child. In such cases, adult nursing has often caused lactation to continue until it was possible for the child to resume breast feeding.
• Pumping: Some women experience sensual pleasure from pumping milk from their breasts with a milk pump or expressing milk manually, either with or without a partner. In addition to the sensual pleasure, they report feeling more feminine while producing milk. Therefore some women continue with lactation after weaning a baby for emotional or sensual reasons.^[8]
• Infantilism: The male partner assumes the role of a baby (being breastfed by the mother) in sexual role play. Breastfeeding might play a secondary role in this type of relationship, and being pampered by "mommy", wearing diapers or a hidden incestuous character can predominate in this kind of relationship.
• There exist also two BDSM varieties of erotic lactation:

1. Breastfeeding as a reward (or surrogate pleasure): Breastfeeding of the submissive partner can serve as a reward for his/her submission.
2. Milking: Milking of the submissive woman, or commanding her to give milk for her dominant partner.

• Excessive Breastfeeding of a Child: In order to give a comprehensive overview it should be mentioned that "excessive breastfeeding" for reasons of sensual pleasure in the mother might occur. This is not a topic of this article and it is highly unclear whether a woman can harm her child directly by excessive breastfeeding.^[9]

Lactation, re-lactation and induced lactation

Erotic Lactation between partners or an Adult Nursing Relationship (ANR) may develop from natural breastfeeding of a baby. During the lactation period the partner starts to suckle on the female breast, and continues after the baby is weaned off. Milk production is continually stimulated and the milk flow continues.

However, milk production can be "artificially" and intentionally induced in the absence of any pregnancy in the woman. This is called induced lactation, while a woman who has lactated before and re-starts is said to relactate. This can be done by regularly sucking on the nipples (several times a day), massaging and squeezing the female breasts or with additional help from temporary use of milk-inducing drugs, such as the Dopamine antagonist Domperidone ^[10][11]. In principle — with considerable patience and perseverance — it is possible to induce lactation by sucking on the nipples alone.

It is not necessary that the woman has ever been pregnant, and she can be well in her post-menopausal period. Once established, lactation adjusts to demand. As long as there is regular breast stimulation, lactation is possible.

A lactogene effect of herbs is not clinically confirmed, although several herbs are recommended to increase or evoke milk flow. These are for example fenugreek (the most popular), blessed thistle, and red raspberry leaf.

History: Roman Charity

 There exists a very old story mostly called "Roman Charity" or "caritas romana"^[12]. This story is most known from old paintings showing a young woman nourishing an old man who is imprisoned by suckling him.

The story comes from the Roman writer Valerius Maximus in the year 14 AD - 37 AD. In about AD 1362 the story was retold by the famous writer Giovanni Boccaccio^[13]. After Boccaccio hundreds or possibly thousands of paintings were created, which tell the story.

Primarily, the story tells of a conflict. An existing taboo (implied incest and adult breastfeeding of a woman's milk) or saving a life by breaking the taboo. In this aspect there is no erotic focus to the story.

Most interesting in context of erotic lactation isn't the fact of nourishing a man from a woman's breast. More interesting is the following affair: Valerius Maximus tells two stories, not one only. There's first a long elaborated story with a woman breastfeeding her mother, which is followed by a very short story with a woman breastfeeding her father. The second father-daughter story in fact consists of one sentence only. 1500 years later Boccaccio retells the (first) mother-daughter story only and doesn't mention the father-daughter story. Nevertheless nearly all "caritas romana" oil paintings and drawings show the father-daughter story only. This fact changes the original background into an erotical direction and we can very clearly see the (erotical) fascination of the adult suckling situation for the artists, who created all the paintings.

References

1. ^  Borrmann, Brigitte: Kurz- und mittelfristige Auswirkungen des Stillens auf die maternale Gesundheit post partum, Dissertation University of Osnabrück 2005

See also

• Breastfeeding
• Breast fetishism
• Milkmaid
• Sexual fetishism