@SRose1005 it is not always hard! My circle of friends who breastfed it was about a 50/50 between those who struggled and those who said it was a breeze. I get so frustrated with women who scare others out of even trying to breastfeed (no one on this thread, speaking of women I know personally.
@SRose1005 it is not always hard! My circle of friends who breastfed it was about a 50/50 between those who struggled and those who said it was a breeze. I get so frustrated with women who scare others out of even trying to breastfeed (no one on this thread, speaking of women I know personally.
Haha I guess what I could have said more accurately is that this thread helped me to realize that I actually know next to nothing about breast feeding. I think I have some serious new momma homework to do.
It's not always easy. I get so frustrated with people who make breastfeeding sound like a walk in the park or try to negate other people's less than stellar experiences. No one on here of course.
Definitely a great idea to research it, @SRose1005. I wish you the best of luck if it's what you decide will work for your family.
Really late to the party here. Only thing I will add... Breast feeding is only truly free-- if your time is worth nothing. It takes hours a day for a mom -- who may be the primary breadwinner as well! For lots of women who aren't in white collar positions, who work min wage jobs or are single working parents, they do not have employers or jobs where it is a real option for them to take the necessary breaks they need to be off the floor pumping and storing their milk. Or to have them be physically present at home w/ LO as much as is necessary when you are EBF. Many of these women need to go back to work right away and need other people to take care if their kids, which makes formula a simple and attractive option. Plus you can get formula with WIC/assistance.... But there's really not much support for them to go the other route.
I work with a hundred women in a variety of roles. Who breast feeds? The managers and the professionals who have the luxury of a little flexible scheduling, prioritizing their own day, and some privacy. So it ends up being a class issue as well. And that limits one's 'choices' more than a lot of things. But I know that the women I work with who formula feed are working hard for their families in every way possible. Period.
Some people started breastfeeding not knowing what it was, and they'll continue breastfeeding forever just because this is the thread that doesn't end...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BFP#1 EDD 04.20.2010, SUNSHINE baby boy born 03.31.2010 BFP#2 EDD 12.07.2014, natural mc 04.09.2014 at 5w3d BFP#3 EDD 01.14.15, RAINBOW baby girl born 01.16.2015
I'm going to give it my best shot. I heard it's difficult and can be painful, but I'd like to try.
It can be difficult and painful for the first few weeks, but after that, it actually can feel pretty 'good'... It was always a nice way of connecting with the baby amidst super busy days, and I believe it's so good for the emotional well-being of mama and baby as well!
I should also add I formula-fed eventually with all my babies between the 6-9 month mark, just because I felt they weren't growing enough (doctors thought so too) so I'm in no way anti-formula!!
Everyone and baby is different. I never had pain and neither of my kids ate for hours at a time ever even in the beginning. Dd was a struggle ds latched like a pro. Is this thread really almost a month old???
I can't even remember if I commented on this thread or not. Why did it get dragged back up?
What I will say is that yes, sometimes breastfeeding is VERY hard, I had a very painful 6 weeks with my daughter after she was born trying to latch properly, but I pumped between feedings, had a freezer stash, and wound up nursing her for 2 1/2 years. With my son, he latched well right off the bat, but with work and losing time at home, we supplemented formula after 2 months, and at about 6 months went to formula during the day and I nursed him whenever I was home with him. He is 14 months now and he is getting regular milk, but I still nurse him at bed time.
Breastfeeding doesn't have to be all or nothing! Even if you don't have time to pump at work, you may still get that time with baby at home, at night, in the morning, etc. Your body will adjust - I do not feel full during the day, my boobs make the milk for bed time.
Successful breastfeeding requires a lot of support. Physical, emotional, etc. it sure doesn't help that the USA has such shitty maternity leave. Not sure how anyone who has to go back to work at 6 weeks is able to be successful at EBF. It CAN be done but you need the support at work on top of everything you are already doing. Pumping is way way harder! I pumped for a few months to donate, and it was far less efficient than a babies' mouth in my experience.
I've been nursing for over 6 years straight now and have encountered a lot of the issues in one form or the other. I am passionate about helping others set themselves up for success if they want to EBF. It's so rewarding. The early weeks/months are the most challenging, and you will need support over the hurdles even just in form of online articles/tips. I never gave my babies pacifiers or supplementation after birth, which means my nipples were the only option for sucking. Near constant suckling is key to establishing a supply at first.
That said, the burden for all this is sadly still on women. Being a feminist, I would never fault a woman for choosing to feed her baby however she wants to. I also think men need to be more supportive in general to pick up the slack, and govt/workplaces more accommodating. The medical profession also gives a ton of shitty advice that can hinder the chances of breastfeeding working out.
So I came across this a little late, but I am highly allergic to dairy and whey. I have to take extra supplements while pregnant to compensate for the calcium and vitamin D I may not be getting. While I have never broken a bone *knock on wood* and I am healthy, my doctor already suggested I might want to look into formula feeding because my child may not get the correct nutrients from breast feeding that they would through the formula. My allergy is also genetic so it may get passed on to my child, so perhaps I would eat out and get a meal with butter on it without knowing and then breast feed. It may not be a good result for my child.
While I think mother's who breast feed are more harshly judged while feeding in public, it is a natural thing and if it is a healthy option for my child, I would try it.
D14 - Free For All
In loving memory of Baby HP42 and all D14 Angel Babies
Re: Deleted----
Definitely a great idea to research it, @SRose1005. I wish you the best of luck if it's what you decide will work for your family.
I work with a hundred women in a variety of roles. Who breast feeds? The managers and the professionals who have the luxury of a little flexible scheduling, prioritizing their own day, and some privacy. So it ends up being a class issue as well. And that limits one's 'choices' more than a lot of things. But I know that the women I work with who formula feed are working hard for their families in every way possible. Period.
BFP#1 EDD 04.20.2010, SUNSHINE baby boy born 03.31.2010
BFP#2 EDD 12.07.2014, natural mc 04.09.2014 at 5w3d
BFP#3 EDD 01.14.15, RAINBOW baby girl born 01.16.2015
jan'15 january siggy challenge: baby fails
K- born 7/5/2011
G- born 6/24/2013
What I will say is that yes, sometimes breastfeeding is VERY hard, I had a very painful 6 weeks with my daughter after she was born trying to latch properly, but I pumped between feedings, had a freezer stash, and wound up nursing her for 2 1/2 years. With my son, he latched well right off the bat, but with work and losing time at home, we supplemented formula after 2 months, and at about 6 months went to formula during the day and I nursed him whenever I was home with him. He is 14 months now and he is getting regular milk, but I still nurse him at bed time.
Breastfeeding doesn't have to be all or nothing! Even if you don't have time to pump at work, you may still get that time with baby at home, at night, in the morning, etc. Your body will adjust - I do not feel full during the day, my boobs make the milk for bed time.
I've been nursing for over 6 years straight now and have encountered a lot of the issues in one form or the other. I am passionate about helping others set themselves up for success if they want to EBF. It's so rewarding. The early weeks/months are the most challenging, and you will need support over the hurdles even just in form of online articles/tips. I never gave my babies pacifiers or supplementation after birth, which means my nipples were the only option for sucking. Near constant suckling is key to establishing a supply at first.
That said, the burden for all this is sadly still on women. Being a feminist, I would never fault a woman for choosing to feed her baby however she wants to. I also think men need to be more supportive in general to pick up the slack, and govt/workplaces more accommodating. The medical profession also gives a ton of shitty advice that can hinder the chances of breastfeeding working out.