Dad boasts benefits of breast milk

CHICAGO, July 24 (UPI) -- An Illinois man said he gladly became a male breast-feeding counselor at a Chicago medical center after his premature daughter was nursed to health.

Henry Hale has attracted attention as the first man to be a certified breast-feeding peer counselor at Chicago's Rush University Medical Center, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

"Sometimes when men hear what I do, they think that I get to be around breasts all day. But it's not like that. It's about supporting the mother of your child," he said.

Hale, 25, said he was inspired to spread the word about lactation after watching his 3-year-old daughter, Miracle, steadily grow while eating breast milk after she was delivered at 24 weeks weighing just 1 pound, 3 ounces.

"She was the size of a cell phone ... and we felt so hopeless," he said. "Now look at her ...she's all you need to know about the benefits of breast milk."