Breast Is Best in Any Language!

Monday, September 28th, 2009

I was recently reading an article that noted that the German word for breastfeeding is stillen (pronounced shtil′-in) which translates literally as "to quiet and comfort (the baby)".  I thought it was a lovely translation and was immediately curious (I'm a Gemini - it's a curse) to find out what the word for breastfeeding is in other languages as well as what they would translate to literally.  Therefore, I set forth to pick the brains of all my cosmopolitan friends.  Here is what I found out...

Japanese

bonu (bow-new) translates to "mother milk".  From what I understand from my friend Pearl, this is a more casual way of saying breastfeeding.  She went on to say the following, "Ok, so... bonu o noma seru is the formal way of saying breastfeeding. The "o noma seru" means "to make drink". Even though none of those words is a literal translation for "baby". One would just understand the phrase to mean breastfeeding."

"Another more casual way would be ochichi o noma seru. The word "ochichi" is an informal way of saying breast, but when used with "o noma seru" would mean to breastfeed. It's hard to give literal translations, because it's the way words are used in the context of conversation that creates the definition of words. I guess that's why Japanese is so hard to learn unless you live there and speak it all the time."

"The phrase in the article below akachan ni oppai o ageru is yet another way you could say it - "akachan" means baby, "oppai" is another slang for breast."

This is a great article about the Japanese culture and brieftly speaks to the fact that the Japanese aren't all "hung-up" on nudity (like we are in North America).  It also explains that there are not that many slang words for breasts because the Japanese feel that breasts are nothing to be ashamed of.  Hmmm...  a lesson there perhaps?

And finally, a short and humourous article about formal and informal Japanese speech.  Thanks again Pearl.  I learned a lot!

Spanish (Mexico)

darle el pecho (dar′-lay el pay′-cho) translates to "give the breast".  Thanks Delia!

Welsh

bwydo o'r fron (boo-eed-ore-vrom) From my friend Claire:  "Bwydo literally translates to feed and fron again literally translates to breast and if we conjugate this to a verb then we would write in the form of bwydo o'r fron... which translates to breast feeding.  A lot of words in Welsh do not translate directly, but this one does.  So there is no rough translation (similar words that would be a close translation when required) this one is as clear a translation as ever."

Chinese

Bu Ru 哺乳 (boo′-roo) translates to “feeding human milk”.  Thanks Jackie!

Italian

allattare al seno (a-la-tar′-ray al say′-nyo) translates to "give milk on the breast" but in general people say simply allattare.  Thanks Giovanna!
 

So I guess my mission to find another language that was as lovely as the German translation must continue...

Therefore, if you speak another language that isn't noted here and know the word for breastfeeding and how it translates literally to English, please share in the comments below!  We'd love to hear more!  Or if you find an error in our post, please let us know that too!  Maybe I should have majored in Linguistics?

Filed under: Just for Fun by Wendy Armbruster Bell
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What's that Noise? *or passing the time while pumping* (Guest Post)

Sunday, September 27th, 2009

Anyone who spends any amount of time pumping breast milk for their baby realizes quickly how mind-numbingly boring it can be.  One of the biggest let-down killers is bottle-watching: waiting for the bottle to fill and only getting the drip, drip, drip...  Be one of the many women who exclusively pump (EP) and you quickly realize that these hours of your life must be filled with something other than waiting for the oxytocin release.  After I finished my year of EPing, I calculated that I had spent approximately one entire month of my life with my breast pump.  And while I never question or regret the choice I made to express milk for my son, I also know that this time was not always relaxing or enjoyable.  Finding something to do while pumping, however, can help make the experience more enjoyable.  So what are your options?

There is (excuse the expression and the pun) the boob tube.  During my midnight pumping sessions I became a connoisseur of late night and late, late night television.   I truly believe David Letterman and I had a personal relationship.  (Note to self: I must reconnect with him.)   Emergency 51, Marcus Welby, and Quincy were all on in the wee hours of the night and got me through many 2 a.m. pumping sessions not to mention teaching me all about emergency medicine and autopsies!

Sleeping of course can not be discounted as an option.  Yes, it can be done!  While usually not a planned activity during pumping, you will be equally surprised as I was the first time you wake up, milk overflowing the collection bottles, and a sense of disorientation overflowing you.  While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend sleeping as an option, it is possible, does happen, and when it does happen to you, know you are not the only one!

Talking on the phone can be a very pleasant way to pass the time (as long as it’s not your nosy mother-in-law you are talking to) and keep your mind off the bottles.  However, you might want to carefully consider who you are talking to so when the inevitable question of “What is that noise?” arises, you can answer without embarrassment or at the very least have a quick, and perhaps distracting, response preplanned.

One of the most common methods to pass time while pumping is to surf the web.  With countless hyperlinks to follow, filling fifteen to twenty minutes of your time is quite simple.  Catching up on posts on the many discussion boards focused on expressing breast milk helps to build community, camaraderie and support which is so critical in what can be a very isolating activity.  On the downside, you have to avoid the many opportunities available on the internet to spend money!

What else can you do?  Really pretty much anything.  I have even heard of women who drive their car while expressing!  And when you start to consider all the possible ways to pass the time while pumping, you begin to wonder, “Just how do you manage all these things while trying to operate the pump, hold the collection bottles, do breast compressions, deal with the overflowing bottles...?”

Well, watching television can be done without the need of hands.  Sleeping can easily begin without a need for hands, but pretty much anything else will require an extra set of hands- or the use of the ones you already have.  For me, this was accomplished through my wonderfully short stature.  In most cases, this is a detriment, but when pumping, my short stature allowed me to precariously perch the collection bottles on my knees with one forearm pressed against one bottle and the hand on the same arm holding the other bottle.  This of course only frees up only one hand making very slow work of typing and requires everything be within close reach.  For women nursing at the keyboard they have come up with the acronym “NAK” (nursing at keyboard) to explain poor keyboarding or spelling.  I have yet to see anyone use “PAK” (pumping at keyboard) but perhaps it is time it is used as well.

Since I was pumping, more than five years ago, there have been a myriad of products come to market that allow for hands-free pumping.  Hands-free devices provide a certain amount of freedom impossible without them.  While not necessary, a good hands-free bra can allow women to focus on something other than the bottles and the milk being expressed and actually help to improve the volume of milk expressed.  Using a hands-free bra can actually reclaim some of the time spent pumping and turn it into something that you can use for yourself.

So, what do YOU do while pumping?  Drop us a line below and tell us about it!

Stephanie Casemore is the author of Exclusively Pumping Breast Milk: a Guide to Providing Expressed Breast Milk for your Baby.  For more information on exclusively pumping or to purchase Stephanie's book, visit www.ExclusivelyPumping.com

Filed under: Pumping by Stephanie Casemore
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