- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Success after IF
CJ71903
member
Mixed Feelings About Continuing BF'ing
CJ71903
member
I've been trying to decide if I should stop EP'ing relatively soon and I just can't make up my mind. I know that I will have to stop at some point, but I just don't know if I should stop now. EP'ing is a hassle, but breastmilk is so good for them and they really seem to prefer it to formula. I've also had comments made to me about how I'm still pumping and that that is crazy. Maybe it is. I don't know what to do.
I am also fighting guilty feelings that I didn't nurse my twins. I did it for the first two weeks of their life, but the logistics were difficult when my husband went back to work and I didn't have any help. They fell asleep at the breast quickly and tandem nursing was difficult with my c-section pain and my difficult recovery since I had lost a lot of blood. My mom has made comments about how I would have loved nursing and goes on about how great it is. Although I know she doesn't mean to hurt my feelings, it certainly doesn't help.
Any thoughts that you could share about this would be great. I just need to sort out my feelings and figure out what to do.
Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Mixed Feelings About Continuing BF'ing
I EPd with #1 and made it to 8 months. I was d.o.n.e. then. I was able to get up a great freezer supply so that helped.
If you are done you will know. Maybe try to add more formula and pump for a bit longer to get a bit of a stash, so you can still give breastmilk sometimes in the weeks to come.
Good luck! And big big high five for EPing with twins to care for amazing!
I'm amazed that you have EP'd thing long!! My hat goes off to you...I hated pumping with every fiber of my being. And omg, don't you DARE feel guilty for not "nursing" them! What you did is harder, in my opinion!
FWIW, while I liked breastfeeding, I never loved it..and the day that we weaned, it was like a weight fell off of me. Its sooo effing freeing to not be tied to a pump or a schedule of needing to be in a private place at certain intervals. I would absolutely have weaned sooner (with some guilt and waffling, i'm sure) if I had found a formula that he would drink!
You have given them an amazing start! Do what you need to do to make YOU happy!
In the end, you have to have peace about it - because stopping can be so emotional, and harder on mom than on the babies!
But, seeing as I weaned at 8 months, I think you've given them an AMAZING foundation and think you should be incredibly proud and happy with how far you've made it. Those babies will continue to grow and thrive on formula - and will reap the benefits of the 8+ months you've given them for years to come. That said, if - despite being difficult - what you are doing now works for you and you can see yourself continuing to make it work, there may not be any reason to quit now.
Make the decision that is right for YOU, and right for your family. Don't let comments from your friends and family influence your choice - because it doesn't involve them. A happy relaxed mom is as critical to a child's well being as anything else, so do what is right for you. Those babies will grow up strong and healthy, regardless of what you choose.
Because we're fancy like that.
my goal was only to nurse until 6 months, and even when that time came I still had mixed feelings about stopping.
I think when you're ready, you will just know.
My LO's preferred BM over formula too. But they've been EFF for 6 weeks now and don't know the difference.
And if it helps to hear both my pedi (who is very holistic) and my RE told us that all of the antibodies and nutrients that babies really need from BM they get in the first 6 months. After 6 months it's more about economy and/or your personal choice/lifestyle. So you did an excellent job getting them past the most important point.
Lastly, my mom didn't breastfeed. And it never bothered her until I breastfed the twins. When I first started nursing she would give me a hard time when I was stubborn and kept pressing forward even though it was hard/I was in pain. Then she learned more about it and became jealous of our nursing instead. Now she says all of the time that she didn't have the same support system or resources I had when she parented. Um, what support system or resources? She's on drugs.
Anywho, my point is mothers can be idiots. I think sometimes they need to validate themselves and the way they parented and they only way they know how to do that is to compare it to how their children parent. Take her with a grain of salt.