Adult Nursing Relationship
An adult nursing relationship (ANR), also known as adult breastfeeding, involves two (or more) adults who engage in adult breastfeeding together. Usually one person in the relationship (who may or may not lactate) has a partner who suckles regularly as part of their relationship. .
An ANR is usually a loving committed relationship between the people involved. It is usually less a single kink and more a flexible relationship dynamic centered on intimacy and bonding. It's often practiced as a long-term, community-supported lifestyle.
Ongoing nipple stimulation alone can cause lactation in some people, even if they have never been pregnant. But the lactation itself is not essential to an ANR relationship.
Origins of the Term
The exact origins of the term adult nursing relationship are unclear, but it appears to have emerged from online adult breastfeeding communities around the early 2000s. Yahoo and MSN groups around this topic started popping up around this time, and began using the abbreviation ANR to describe ongoing nursing between adult partners.
By the mid-2000s, organized communities such as the Society of Nursing Couples had attracted thousands of members. This community appears to have been involved in how adult nursing was framed and named. Archived discussions from 2006 show ANR participants objecting to terms such as "fetish" and arguing for terms like adult nursing relationship (ANR) or adult breastfeeding relationship (ABF) because nursing could be intimate and sensual without necessarily being sexual.
Of course, adult breastfeeding itself is likely much older! ANR is just a relatively modern term for the practice.
Statistics About Adult Nursing Relationships
- A survey of more than 4,000 Americans found that 31% of men reported having fantasized about breast milk in some way.
- A 2005 survey of almost 2,000 British men found that tasting a partner's breast milk (in a non-sexual context) was fairly common.
- There are more than 670 groups and 6,000 groups posts discussing ANR on FetLife.
Why People Are Into It
People enjoy adult nursing relationships for many different reasons. Here are a few common ones:
Deep Physical Intimacy
Some people in ANR relationships love the deep physical bonding the act of nursing provides. The full body contact, shared experience, and emotional presence is what draws people to it.
Sensory and Physical Pleasure
Breast stimulation, warmth, and comfort are all forms of pleasure that nursing can provide within a couple. People may find it calming, soothing, satisfying, sensual, or a combination of any or all of these things!
Novelty
Nursing is sensual and sexy, but it isn't something everyone does. Some couples see it as a unique experience only they share.
Care and Closeness
Nursing often involves cuddling, comfortable positions, and caretaking. Some people love how the dynamic reinforces caring and closeness between partners.
Related Terms
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