Many of the names collected by Neesam are made by reduplication, a word-making process that produces rhymes ("higgledy-piggledy," "namby-pamby") and non-rhymes ("flippy-floppy," "mish-mash"), as well as whole-word repetition ("boom-boom," "doo-doo," "night-night," "no-no," "nyah-nyah," "kootchy-kootchy-koo"). Reduplication and little kids go together like a poo-poo in the potty-wotty: on Jane's list, the reduplicative terms for breastfeeding include "baa-baa," "boob boob nursey nursey," "dap-dap," "juice-juice," "mimmi blim blims," "nee-nee-naw-nees," "num-nums," and "tay-yay." Such words come easily to toddlers, and they may prove reassuring to parents as well. Neil Cunningham — a Biocontrol Specialist in Minneapolis whose daughter Luna used "nurse nurse" — thinks that "'Nurse' or 'nursing' sounded too formal or something . . . 'nurse nurse' kind of softens the asking."
Though reduplication dominates, Neesam's list is a tour through many types of word-making. The same blending process that gave us "Brangelina" and "puggle" creates "bilk" (self-explanatory) and "beepy" (a mix of "booby" and "sleep"). A few terms — "Bert and Ernie" and "Milky and Tilky" — go the name-the-boobs route. And it's no shock that many terms are synonymous with Mom herself: "Mama milk," "Mammas," "Mamoos," "Mommy juice," "Mummy milk," "mum-mum boo-boos," "mum-mums."
And the winner for most creative word goes to home-schooling mom Kelley Francis, whose son first used "booba" for nursing. Through some hard-to-trace collaboration between mother, son, father, and Homer Simpson — coiner Through some hard-to-trace collaboration between mother, son, father, and Homer Simpson — coiner of "saxamaphone" — "booba" grew into "boobamaphone."of "saxamaphone" — "booba" grew into "boobamaphone." Of the Simpsons influence, Francis says, "In one part of the episode, 'saxamaphone' is actually said to Beethoven's Fifth, which is how we often say 'boobamaphone.' Granted, we also say it as a race car announcer might, while our nurslings are held by my husband and revving up (complete with car sound effects) for the nursing race."
Whatever the sound, sound effects or origin of a toddler's breastfeeding name, each word is an absolutely distinct part of that kid's world. Autumn Cunningham — a birth doula and childbirth mentor — feels that "there is something sacred about the words," maybe because "they aren't some generic product or brand name." She says the names "are highly personal and unique . . . and appropriate for the intimacy that is breastfeeding."
In some cases, that intimate language may evolve, and in the Koey household, bookie isn't just for breastfeeding. According to Dad Dan, "bookie" shifted in meaning to mean breasts: "Sometimes we'd pass a nude female figure — a drawing, a painting, a statue — and he'd say, 'Look, that woman has bookies' by way of art criticism." This led to some important distinctions in the field of hugging. Jess clarifies: "As (Koey) got older and I weaned him, he would say that he wanted to snuggle with me, specifically, 'snuggle with bookies!' Or 'hug with bookies!' Which means that he wants a hug with his head against my chest."
Hug with bookies? Move over, burger with fries.
©2007 Nerve Media
