On the subject of breastfeeding...

[conuly]

Why is it called "breastmilk"? We don't say that cats have "teatmilk" and cows have "uddermilk", do we? Why not call it human milk, since that's what it is, or just milk?

Edit: I don't like "baby formula" either. Sounds like you've got some baby in a can, and that's just not right. Ick.

Comments

[anotheralice.livejournal.com]

It might be referred to as "breastmilk" to differentiate between "formula," or just regular cow's "milk" for older children. But there doesn't seem to be any reason why we couldn't refer to it as "human milk." Maybe we just have an obsession in our culture with the word "breast."