Annette wrote, ".In the Caribbean islands and other Afrocentric cultures non moms nurse babies. As a matter of fact the lactation process among the Caribs( originally inhabitants of the Caribbean) occurred among all the women as a species-survival mechanism. Some nannies in the days of slavery also provided sustenance in the slave masters household. There is some evidence that pregnancy can have an impact on males." Certainly the notion of a "wet nurse" was common in Europe as well as the Americas. But these were women who were already nursing (and/or pregnant with) their own babies. I am unaware of this occurring in a nulliparous woman who had not experienced the hormonal changes of pregnancy. Still, it would be interesting to extend Rosenblatt's concaveation studies to see if continued exposure to pups over months to see if male rats would actually lactate. I remain skeptical about the anecdotal info Stephen sent us. Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania Office Hours: Mondays noon-2 and 3-4 p.m.; Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9:00 a.m. & 12:30-1:30 p.m. http://mywebpages.comcast.net/epollak/home.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, bluegrass fiddler and herpetoculturist...... in approximate order of importance.
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