What has influenced your feeding decision?

thompnia · September 2014

During my first year of college, I found pregnancy and childbirth fascinating. After doing a lot of research, I knew I wanted to breastfeed my future children.

My mom formula fed us. My cousin stopped bfing after a week (she had a very stressful time of it, and extenuating circumstances made it nearly impossible for her.) My side of the family was full of, "it's going to HURT!" "Have formula just in case" "well, you can TRY...". My MIL nursed all of her children, and was a great resource without being overbearing.

With my son, I was in school two days a week only for a few hours a day when he was born. Breastfeeding was a breeze for us - it never hurt, and we never struggled. At three months one more class was added, and I was not away from him for a full time position until he was six months old. This worked very well with establishing our breastfeeding relationship.

With this baby, I will most likely return to work full time at three months after maternity leave. I really hope that nursing goes as smoothly this way, and that I get a good freezer stash established in time (it is difficult to get good blocks of breaks for pumping in surgery.)

What factors in your life influenced how you decided (or were forced) to feed your previous and/or current LOs? Was it an easy decision, or did it take some serious thought (or still thinking?)

Please remember this is not meant to be a flame fest. I am curious about how other moms approach this topic, and I'm sure others are as well. Let's all play nice in the sandbox.

banana2020 · September 2014

I honestly never had any interest in BFing. But the main factor was my work load and thinking ahead to what my life would be like being tied to BFing. I had my son via c/s, spent 5 days in the H, came home on a Friday, took 3 days completely off (3 day holiday weekend) and started to WFH immediately. I went back into my office about a week after that part time (about 30 hrs a week) and back to full time (more like 50 hrs a week) within a couple weeks. I took my son with me (4.5 yrs later it's the same situation) so I could have BF'd on demand because I was here and he was here, but I knew finding the time, privacy, committed time away from working would not be easy for me. I have people in and out of my office all day long with production questions and issues. Shutting my door multiple times a day for pumping and/or BFing just wasn't going to work out for me and my stress level. So FFing worked well for us.

My plan is the same with this one (though we plan to put him in DC for 3 days a week vs. with me 5 days a week since I really have to start committing more time to work (sadly).

MusicFanatic · September 2014

I didn't really have to think about it much. I've been pretty much surrounded by breast feeders my whole life. My mom did all her pregnancies, my cousins did, my aunts did, etc. So it was always one of those things I just assumed I would do. And after my own research, it clenched my decision even more. That said, I'm certainly not opposed to forumla. And I will have some on hand in case. If I need to go that route, I will do so.. and I won't feel guilty. But I'd love to breastfeed.

nah82 · September 2014

The factor that probably influenced me most to bf was money! Formula is expensive (unless you qualify for WIC) and bfing is free if you are at home like me and don't need a $300 pump (although now a lot of people can get free pumps through insurance, but it wasn't like that my first 2 babies). I grew up with all my aunts sitting around nursing my cousins at family functions, so I was comfortable with it for the most part, although, I don't feel comfortable NIP. Pumps don't work well for me, so I used formula when I was out of the house and to mix baby cereal. Books and the bump convince you that it's all or nothing, but it really is not necessarily. When I went back to work with #1, he had formula while I was at work and nursed when I was home. I was a part time pharmacy tech and was able to work 4 hour shifts. Any more than that and my boobs would've exploded. My mom formula fed me and my sister, I don't have that "formula is poison" mentality. I think we both turned out just fine.

2000cougar · September 2014

Most of my friends and family members used formula. I still might have tried it if I didn't have other complications. I had a lumpectomy performed on one breast and ended up with a lot of scar tissue. It made breastfeeding on that side difficult if not impossible. My joints were also very loose and constantly dislocating after birth. I had to take narcotics for the pain and didn't want the baby to be exposed.

kellyfo14 · September 2014

Always wanted to breastfeed. My Mom breastfed but she is a bit earth mother about it, never had a single problem and talked about how naturally it would come. It is also way cheaper. With my first it was not quite so simple. She was very big(11.1 pounds) and very hungry right away, from birth. I pumped every chance I got to get my milk in but we had to supplement from the beginning.This was difficult for me. I had to return to work at 8 weeks and I pumped 3 times a day but didn't really react well to the pump and had to pump a ton at home to have enough milk for her for daycare and by 9 months I had just had enough. It was also a very painful start and she would cluster feed in the middle of the night so I got very little sleep.

With my second, he started nursing in the recovery room, and my milk came in quickly. I didn't once pump in the hospital and he had gained by the time we left. I had a pretty good freezer stash going that unfortunately was decimated when I had gallbladder surgery when he was 6 weeks. I had one bout with thrush which SUCKED but didn't last. I breastfed him for 14 months. It helped that I was home with him too. It really was so much easier the second time around. Anticipating that this one will go easy as well. Crossing fingers!

YaMrWhite · September 2014

For fear of being called out for talking about my boobs too much, I will refrain from answering this

BookitBoo · September 2014

I staid at home with DS and wanted to BF. It seemed like an amazing way
to nourish and connect with my new baby, and it didn't hurt that it was completely free. All of the literature made it seem a sure thing, that supply issues weren't 'real.' My entire family was very supportive, despite the fact that none have been able to establish a supply. I was unable to establish a supply so I was forced to FF.

I will attempt to BF again, and I will have a small stash of formula on hand in case it doesn't work out, which I plan to donate if/when my supply comes in.

UberBiz · September 2014

It was very different with my daughter than it was with my son. When I had my daughter, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. I think I went a little crazy with it, I pumped between feedings, and nursed her in between, and it HURT. For like, 6 weeks at least until we got into the groove of things. She never had a drop of formula, even though I had a couple cans "just in case." Every time I would feel so overwhelmed, I'd cry, and ask now-ex if I would be a bad mom if I just quit because it was so painful. But I kept going back and nursing her anyway. She nursed til she was 2 1/2, and like I said, never had formula, I was able to build up a stash before I went back to work, and miraculously pump enough AT work to keep up with her demand. I was like a cow, I think pumping so much right from the start had a lot to do with it.

With my son I took a way more "go with the flow" approach. I breastfed him on demand for 8 weeks while I was off work and home with him, but never pumped in between. With everything else going on, I just couldn't find the time or energy to make it happen. Then when I went back to work, I was able to pump enough for him for maybe 2 months until we started needing to supplement. I thought I would feel guilty about it, but I didn't. It eventually came to the point where I stopped pumping at work altogether, and just nursed him when I was home with him, and he got formula during the day, and it worked out. He weaned around 15M, and now he gets regular milk in a bottle still for nap time and bed time (Yes, he's my baby, lol, they're only little once!)

I'll probably take a similar approach for this LO, breastfeed when I'm with her, try to pump at work, and if it doesn't work out, I know she isn't going to starve.

I'll also say that nursing was a little harder with my son, my let-down was not as strong, whereas with my daughter I'd start shooting milk and she'd almost gag when she latched on (which is why she was frustrated with bottles, she had to work too hard!), but my son had to work for that let-down, it didn't happen at the drop of a hat like it did with my daughter.

elleswarth · September 2014

It's very simple in my case. I have had zero desire to BF, ever. That was pretty much the end of discussion and my H has always just rolled with what I felt was best. We FF our first, and will do the same with this one. I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital, and sometimes I'm really really lucky if I get the chance to pee more than once and maybe eat dinner. I simply don't have the ability to do it at work, which I will return to after 6 weeks. To each their own, it just isn't for me.

Stargirlb · September 2014

Mostly it felt right. There was never a doubt in my mind that I would at least initiate bf'ing. We get year long maternity leaves, lots of public accommodations, and something like 96 percent of women initiate breastfeeding, so it's pretty much a norm to at least try.

There were a few passionate STM bf'ers on my first bmb group, and they shared lots of info during pregnancy so that helped prep me for the logistics of it. (Nursing on demand, in public, etc.) I had never seen anyone do it in real life so reading about it was helpful and before I even started I got really excited and passionate about it myself.

We still had our normal hurdles at first-- colicky baby, gassy, mastitis, etc etc, and my ex DH would always be like "should we just try a bottle?" Which pissed me off because I knew I could not even have a can of formula in the house if I wanted to make this work. I caved once when she was about a month or 2, because I was not getting much support from my ex in terms of helping me with her when she was fussy in the evenings, and so I thought I would go by some formula and let him give her a bottle. Well, I was in the aisle and started reading the ingredients on the cans to pick the best one. Seeing corn syrup, carrageenan, calcium carbonate, etc etc on the cans made me really shocked and upset. Even the 'natural' ones had stuff in them that I just could not bring myself to buy. I found it discouraging, and decided to just suck it up and keep with my exclusive bf'ing plan. Ultimately, I am so glad I did. It got so much easier after a few months, though the biggest change was in my mind. The little doubts were disappearing and I became mentally stronger and resigned to my decision. I gave up trying to pump a bottle for DH to feed her with since I found pumping to be more stressful and frustrating than just nursing her myself. I became much more confident about nursing in public and openly in front of my inlaws and extended family who were all very conservative people.

I went on to nurse her until she was 5 years old, though after about age 3 it just became a very occasional thing for comfort such as before bed sometimes.

Second baby, I felt like a seasoned pro. I had milk at birth, and it didn't take long for my supply to respond to the baby. I was mentally prepared for all the trials and tribulation of nursing a newborn (and had warned my new DH about how much support I would need,) but those challenges simply never came. He was easy from the start. And I was completely confident. I felt such a difference that I actually felt guilty for my daughter having to have gone through it with me the first time around when mentally I was such a noob. Never had an issue with my son, right down to feeling 100 percent comfortable nursing in every setting, including business meetings.

He is 2.5 now and still nurses for comfort before bed and occasionally as he wakes up.. I'm not making much if any milk right now due to pregnacy but don't mind him continuing in order to tandem nurse a bit with the new baby because I think it helps the transition.

LooneyLife · September 2014

Its not something I ever thought about. I always thought people start off planning to breastfeed and then adjust their plan accordingly given their own specific circumstance.

I'm a FTM and as such do not yet know what factors will influence my current plan.

csjsmom · September 2014

I don't think it occurred to me to do anything besides BF. But I'm in canada and have the Year off. I had trouble in the beginning, especially with my first because of the size of my breasts (ridiculously big) so it was like a newborn trying to latch onto a beach ball. That was the lactation consultants description.
My first refused to take a bottle or soother completely so I nursed him for a long time. 2.5 years. My second took a bottle and liked a soother so I was able to pump and give him a bottle on occaision, mostly when they went to their dads (he left when our second was 10 weeks old).
Pumping is an incredible amount of work so if I had to go back to work within the first 6 months I'm not sure if I would have been so dedicated to BFing. With the year off its easier to commit to it. I think.

mmur76 · September 2014

I'm hoping to breastfeed- no particular reason other than I think it seems like a cool bonding experience for you & your baby. And it's also free! However, if I can't for whatever reason, I won't beat myself up over it. I will probably stop once I go back to work, unless it ends up being super easy for me and I don't mind pumping.

ECATX · September 2014

It just felt right to me - to me, if the milk is there - why not use it? I also wanted to do it because of the nutritional aspects and the benefits for the mom. No one in my family had ever breastfed, so I was nervous about it, and it wasn't something I had really been exposed to. I had friends who breastfed, but most of them lived halfway across the country. I took a class about it and learned as much as I could, and luckily, it went really well. It only hurt for a few days, and that was because I was holding DD in a way that made her have a bad latch. I had a good supply and pumped once a day to build a freezer stash for about 3-4 months, which I needed when I traveled for work. I work from home, so pumping at home wasn't a huge issue. Pumping while traveling is really annoying, but I got through it.

Hopefully, things will go as well with this LO!

storm08 · September 2014

My mom bf each of us for a year, and I read a lot about benefits etc. My H was mainly onboard for the financial reasons, but was always encouraging and never once mentioned formula. I nursed and pumped for my son until he was 15 months old. He has never been nor is he a big snuggler, so when he was nursing was just about the only time that I actually got good snuggles from him.

id012 · September 2014

With ds I plannrd on breastfeeding *although looking back I was not very prepared. At 5 days pp I ended up back in the hospital for a crazy infection from birth. I was on iv antibiotics and pain killers for like a week and was just so sick I didnt care about bf or ff i just meeded to get back home Ds was home with dh.
So we ff from there on out.

AlfiesMOM · September 2014

I wanted to breastfeed and I tried very hard. We had major latching problems, I was totally overwhelmed and I just resorting to pumping. For the first 10 weeks pumping was working fine, but I honestly started to resent E. I would be up pumping while, her and my husband were sleeping. So by the time I feed her, changed her, got her back down and pumped I would sleep for 30-45 minutes before it was time to do it all over again. I basically started having a breakdown and my husband and I decided to move to formula at 12 weeks. Even though I saw LC, I just never full felt in control of the situation because it was so difficult. This time I really hope it works out and I will try a little harder. All that being said I also know feeding my baby is the most important thing and I will not beat myself up like I did last time if I have to formula feed!

[Deleted User] · September 2014

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Rochelle2012 · September 2014

I've always known I would breast feed even though it isn't the norm for most of the mothers around me. I plan to do it for at least the first 6-9 months and then see from there.

llambrose · September 2014

It wasn't much of a decision for me, I guess I just assumed that I would at least try to breastfeed. My mom and my aunt both did so it seemed normal to me. Plus it was free, natural, and I was planning on quitting my job to stay home with her so it all just made sense. When I was pregnant I educated myself a bit more and firmed up my decision to breastfeed so I never really had doubts. I was lucky, my daughter was a good latcher, I took a breastfeeding class at the hospital and was able to have a consultation with a lactation consultant. We never really had any problems. After a bit I did use formula when we were out or if I needed someone else to feed her, just for convenience (I was not a fan of nursing in public and I hated pumping) and she was good to switch back and forth no problem. She weaned herself just before her first birthday (which was nice that I didn't have to initiate it). My goal had been to pretty much exclusively breastfeed for a year and I felt like we basically accomplished that.

With this baby, I know I am going to feel a little bad but I will have to go back to work around 10 weeks so my plan is to start out breastfeeding him and then hopefully when I go back to work, he can formula feed when he is at home and I will still breastfeed him in the morning and evening. That is my hope. I don't know how it will go and I have already told myself that if I have to switch exclusively to formula, I will and not feel bad. I am not happy that I will only be home with him for such a short time but I have to go back (my job is really good and I make a lot more than my husband does) and I don't want to add guilt over lack of breastfeeding to to that. I would try pumping but I just hate it so much so I will just have to see how it goes.

CoachTay · September 2014

I nursed B for about 5 weeks, then switched to exclusively pumping. She had horrible latch issues and I had to use a shield, so it wasn't the easiest process. At 8 weeks PP I developed mastitis which turned into a baseball sized abcess that ruptured. I had to have emergency "surgery" to drain the abcess (I was awake - no meds), and subsequently had to pack an open wound with gauze (changing the gauze multiple times a day)for 9 weeks after. I still EP'd until B was 6 months old and was able to have enough supply to give her BM until she turned 1. Luckily, the abcess was high enough that it didn't interfere with pumping.

I'm still undecided on what I will do with this baby. I'm leaning towards nursing again, but am a bit hesitant due to the fiasco I endured with B. I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

aerotigergirl · September 2014

Honestly, I just thought it seemed like the most logical approach. I knew that there was a chance it wouldn't work for a variety of reasons. And I knew there was a chance that I wouldn't enjoy it. And I knew there was a chance that the time commitment would be too big. But I figured that if my body evolved to birth children and make milk, I should at least give it a shot. Formula, as wonderful as it is, is a very good simulation of something that my body could make naturally. So, barring any allergies or other obstacles with using the milk that I was making, it just seemed like the logical first solution.

We were really lucky in that DS didn't have any dietary restrictions that would have caused me to have to drastically alter my diet in order to continue breastfeeding him. And we also were very lucky in that my body made plenty of milk and we didn't face any latch challenges and we only had one very small case of thrush. Also, I had the luxury of staying home with him for the first 12 weeks and when I did return to work, it was on a part-time basis for a very long time, so I know that that really helped to make our breastfeeding set-up work in our favor.

I plan to breastfeed this LO, too. I'm really hoping that it works just as well this time around!

I realize that lots of mamas/babies don't have all of these things fall in their favor, and I'm also aware that lots of mamas don't want to BF, so I'm really glad that there are great formulas available so that we have so many options! As long as baby is fed, it's all good!

sanbry · September 2014

I always wanted to BF exclusively, my mom nursed both my brother and I. I thought it would come naturally and it did not. Plus we had a lot of issues with my daughter not wanting to eat(no joke, she's still this way) and having a milk/soy protein intolerance. I thought switching to formula would make my life easier and it didn't really. Luckily our insurance paid for her special formula for her first year as it was very expensive. My plans with this one are to learn more and take more classes and try bf-ing again in the hopes it'll work out better this time around.

peggels24 · September 2014

Prior to becoming pregnant, my intention was to EFF and it still is. My main reason is that I plan on being back to work full-time within a month (DH will be taking over the role as primary caregiver and staying home for 3 months).

However, DH and I have both been doing our research (through a variety of resources - here, friends, studies, etc) and I think we are going to take the BFF class offered at my hospital - to at least make sure that we have as much knowledge as possible. We may change our mind at the last minute or we may stick with the Eff - we'll see.

southernyankeegirl · September 2014

I have always planned to breastfeed, it was just assumed. It's what my Mom did, it's what I was exposed to growing up by family and friends most often.

My Mom is almost a detriment though because she's SO confident that it will be SO easy that she refuses to listen to my concerns and brushes them aside - I told her that I don't want our baby to have a pacifier or a bottle for at least a month, and she's rather dismissive, saying, "Oh, you'll WANT your DH to share the feeding experience!" Well no shit, but I would rather fully establish breastfeeding first!

So I say as much, that I want to make sure my supply is fully established and that my son is acclimated to breastfeeding and doesn't get hooked on a bottle, she just waves that off, "Oh, you'll have plenty of milk, don't worry about that!"

Cbeanz · September 2014

I know the ingredients in formula. That was enough information for me.

rainbows · September 2014

Reading about the benefits to both mom and baby has lead me to the decision to at least try breastfeeding. Also, the cost of forumla is a major incentive to breastfeed as long as I can. I will be going back to work after 6-8 weeks, so if pumping doesnt work well for me, I will be preparing to FF.

mom2case · September 2014

The main factor for me was money. Breastmilk is free and I'm frugal to a fault. I can't even fathom how much formula would cost for the first year. DH and I waited to have kids until we were in a good financial spot that would allow me to stay home, so that made it a lot easier. My boobs are a bit milk happy so I had an over-supply. Breastfeeding hurt for the first week or two, but then we hit a stride. I pumped every night before bed because my breasts would be so engorged in the morning if I didn't. I ended up going back to work when DD was 9 to 14 weeks old, but pumped twice during the day (school teacher) so that worked out fine. I donated the extra milk when DD turned 1 and stopped pumping then. She nursed until around 19 months.

cassied7 · September 2014

When I first found out I was pregnant, I had no interest in nursing. My sister was a huge part of changing my mind. I really didn't know anything about nursing. So in talking to her and doing my own research and then taking a breast feeding class, my mind was changed. I set my goal to nurse for my 12 week maternity leave. I then decided to not go back to work...and then my goal changed to one year. We made it to 7 months. Looking back, I realize that I could have done some things different so that we could have nursed longer. So this time around, my starting goal will be one year, and then to go from there. So in the end, what helped my decision to BF we're the benefits, convenience, and money.

Edvent · September 2014

I always had in mind that I would breastfeed and felt very prepared and committed. However, my body just did not cooperate and I believe it had a lot to do with complications during labor/delivery/postpartum.

I had a long labor on magnesium after being induced for severe preeclampsia. Labor ended in an emergency csection around 7:00pm after DD's head got stuck and she was having decels then her HR went dangerously high. I was on mag for 24 hours after her birth as well (OB thinks that affected my supply). After she was born she could not go to recovery with me because they were understaffed and did not have a nurse to send with her. I was in recovery for two hours alone and DH went with DD, so she got skin to skin, just not with me. Around 9:30 pm I finally got to hold her and she latched pretty well (honestly it's all foggy, but I know we tried). That night I started bleeding heavily from my incision and internally and was rushed in for emergency surgery under general anesthetic to basically re-do my csection. I was away from her for several hours and they gave my DH a bottle to give her (which I was fine with as I was obviously out of commission).

Day 1 postpartum I was not making any colostrum at all (even after using the hospital pump) and the LCs suggested to supplement a small amount of formula by syringe with her at the breast to keep her hydrated. We supplemented small amounts of formula by syringe until my milk came in (around day 5). After my milk came in we gave no more formula but she fed basically around the clock and was always hungry. I also tried to pump in between feedings at the suggestion of the lactation consultants. Some days she would eat every hour for 30+ minutes at a time, I’d have 15-30 minutes off (would usually pump during that time), then she’d be hungry again and this would go on for up to 12 hours. I think she was trying to get my supply up but it just didn’t work. I tried every natural method/supplement in the book but nothing helped at all. I asked my OB about a prescription but he didn’t feel comfortable and explained that he had not seen enough good results to make it worth the risks. At her one month visit she was back to birth weight, but had not gained anything at all. We started supplementing one bottle of formula a day, mainly for my sanity.

When she was around a month old I got severe bronchitis and was on steroids and neb treatments (I have a history of asthma), so my already low supply tanked while I was sick. At 6 weeks PP I went back to work and the most I ever pumped at work was 2 ounces total (after pumping twice). She was eating way more than that so she quickly went through my measly freezer stash and needed more formula. At around 10 weeks I had appendicitis and needed another emergency surgery, which again decreased my ever decreasing supply. After that I pretty much gave up on pumping and would just nurse when I was with her, but did formula mostly. At around 3 months she started flat out refusing to nurse, and I took that as my sign that we were done. Looking back I was done way before this.

It was a really difficult journey and I felt so much guilt and regret. Even with all of my complications what makes me most nervous about having another baby is not the RCS but the worry about having a similar breastfeeding experience. I wish I felt ok with just EFF from the start, but I at least want to try again (not sure if it’s mommy guilt, societal pressure, or just my own genuine desire). Either way I know that I will not put myself and the next baby through what we went through last time. My plan this time is to nurse but be ready to supplement if necessary and hopefully not beat myself up as much about it. I have hopes that I will have less traumatic delivery and recovery with fewer issues and that will help us be more successful. I will also take 12 weeks of leave this time, which I hope will help.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for listening to my novel. Reading about breastfeeding experiences is definitely an anxiety trigger and I feel like writing out my story has been helpful. I hope that everyone gets their wishes in the baby feeding department, but I hope more that we can all be kind and gentle with ourselves and with each other! My 16 month old in the end got way more formula than breast milk and she is rarely sick, is way ahead on every milestone, and is an overall healthy and beautiful little girl!

cassied7 · September 2014

ExcitedMama2 said:

cassied7 said:

When I first found out I was pregnant, I had no interest in nursing. My sister was a huge part of changing my mind. I really didn't know anything about nursing. So in talking to her and doing my own research and then taking a breast feeding class, my mind was changed. I set my goal to nurse for my 12 week maternity leave. I then decided to not go back to work...and then my goal changed to one year. We made it to 7 months. Looking back, I realize that I could have done some things different so that we could have nursed longer. So this time around, my starting goal will be one year, and then to go from there. So in the end, what helped my decision to BF we're the benefits, convenience, and money.

I'm increasing my starting goal too -- I had a 6 month goal with my son, and started drying up around 4-5 months. I'm setting a goal of 12 months this time.

We can do it!. I definitely need to find more support and better people to get advice from this time around. I got some really horrible advice about nursing from Silas' pediatrician last time, when I should have never ask them anything and gone straight to my LC. I'm not one to enjoy going to "mommy groups", but I may give it another shot this time. I had all the support in the world from DH, but there's really only so much he can do to advise me lol. Neither my mother nor any of my in laws breastfeed, so they were all just kind of weirded out the entire time, which sucked. But like I said above, my sister was great with guiding me from the start, but if she told me her way of dong something and it wasn't right for me, then that was it. I'm excited to start the journey over agan! Edit: my iPad sucks and I've misspelled lots, but I'm not fixing anything lol.

cassied7 · September 2014

HappyMonkey817 said:

Breast milk is free, natural, always the right temperature, and doesn't require going to the store. Sounds good to me. I haven't tried breastfeeding yet, however, so I hope it works out and I am able to stick with it even if it's difficult.

And all you have to do in the middle of the night is take your boob out! No mixing anything...THAT in itself was amazing.

BackseatDriver · September 2014

I felt like there were some health benefits and financial benefits with breast feeding. Plus it helps with weight loss. Once he could keep up with the flow BF was really convenient as well and I was able to focus less on how much he was eating- I just fed on demand and didn't worry about it. We had a rough start, but I ended up BF for 14 months. I SAH so that made it easier. I think I will aim to BF for a year and then limit to morning and night until 18 months this time.

motherboy · September 2014

My mom was very influential. She breastfed all of her kids and was a very big proponent of it. Everyone I know nurses, so I think it definitely is part of my cultural and social group. I made it to my goal of one year with DS and I only stopped because I was determined to have another baby close together. I don't know how long I will nurse this one if it is our last!

LaBellaVida · September 2014

There was never a doubt in my mind it's what I was going to do.

NatureLovers · September 2014

elleswarth said:
It's very simple in my case. I have had zero desire to BF, ever. That was pretty much the end of discussion and my H has always just rolled with what I felt was best. We FF our first, and will do the same with this one. I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital, and sometimes I'm really really lucky if I get the chance to pee more than once and maybe eat dinner. I simply don't have the ability to do it at work, which I will return to after 6 weeks. To each their own, it just isn't for me.

The last time I was in the hospital my nurse came in super apologetic that my meds were 10 minutes late, because she needed to stop and pump. I told her not to worry about it, 10 min was no big deal, and to take all the time she needed. Apparently she couldn't even stop to eat lunch because those precious few minutes were taken up by pumping.

Stargirlb · September 2014

NatureLovers said:

elleswarth said:
It's very simple in my case. I have had zero desire to BF, ever. That was pretty much the end of discussion and my H has always just rolled with what I felt was best. We FF our first, and will do the same with this one. I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital, and sometimes I'm really really lucky if I get the chance to pee more than once and maybe eat dinner. I simply don't have the ability to do it at work, which I will return to after 6 weeks. To each their own, it just isn't for me.
The last time I was in the hospital my nurse came in super apologetic that my meds were 10 minutes late, because she needed to stop and pump. I told her not to worry about it, 10 min was no big deal, and to take all the time she needed. Apparently she couldn't even stop to eat lunch because those precious few minutes were taken up by pumping.

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Here, pumping (or breastfeeding) is required by law to be accommodated in the workplace, and women must not be required to use their lunch breaks for that time. I hope that the U.S. Govt follows suit!

britb618 · September 2014

I really tried to avoid reading this thread...the guilt I felt over not being able to bf exclusively and for as long as I wanted is extreme. And when people say things like 'I just had to read the ingredients in formula' I honestly want to scream. I will try again breastfeeding this baby and hope that I am not spending every other day at the doctor with him monitoring his weight gain like I was with my daughter....but I know she's a brilliant loveable funny child who has yet to be sick and has surpassed every milestone so if he has to have the ingredients from formula...probably not the worst thing in the world.

elleswarth · September 2014

Stargirlb said:

NatureLovers said:

elleswarth said:
It's very simple in my case. I have had zero desire to BF, ever. That was pretty much the end of discussion and my H has always just rolled with what I felt was best. We FF our first, and will do the same with this one. I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital, and sometimes I'm really really lucky if I get the chance to pee more than once and maybe eat dinner. I simply don't have the ability to do it at work, which I will return to after 6 weeks. To each their own, it just isn't for me.
The last time I was in the hospital my nurse came in super apologetic that my meds were 10 minutes late, because she needed to stop and pump. I told her not to worry about it, 10 min was no big deal, and to take all the time she needed. Apparently she couldn't even stop to eat lunch because those precious few minutes were taken up by pumping.
---

Here, pumping (or breastfeeding) is required by law to be accommodated in the workplace, and women must not be required to use their lunch breaks for that time. I hope that the U.S. Govt follows suit!

They will never follow suit. And in a hospital setting, it just isn't that feasible, at least on my unit. I've got 5-6 very sick patients for 12 hours, and if I stop to go pump every X amount of hours, I'm leaving a co-nurse in charge of her 5-6 very sick patients plus mine. That's not safe or fair. I'm not saying it's right, but unfortunately, it is what it is. I have no desire to BF anyways, so I'm not upset about it.

Stargirlb · September 2014

elleswarth said:

Stargirlb said:

NatureLovers said:

elleswarth said:
It's very simple in my case. I have had zero desire to BF, ever. That was pretty much the end of discussion and my H has always just rolled with what I felt was best. We FF our first, and will do the same with this one. I work 12 hour shifts at the hospital, and sometimes I'm really really lucky if I get the chance to pee more than once and maybe eat dinner. I simply don't have the ability to do it at work, which I will return to after 6 weeks. To each their own, it just isn't for me.
The last time I was in the hospital my nurse came in super apologetic that my meds were 10 minutes late, because she needed to stop and pump. I told her not to worry about it, 10 min was no big deal, and to take all the time she needed. Apparently she couldn't even stop to eat lunch because those precious few minutes were taken up by pumping.
---

Here, pumping (or breastfeeding) is required by law to be accommodated in the workplace, and women must not be required to use their lunch breaks for that time. I hope that the U.S. Govt follows suit!
They will never follow suit. And in a hospital setting, it just isn't that feasible, at least on my unit. I've got 5-6 very sick patients for 12 hours, and if I stop to go pump every X amount of hours, I'm leaving a co-nurse in charge of her 5-6 very sick patients plus mine. That's not safe or fair. I'm not saying it's right, but unfortunately, it is what it is. I have no desire to BF anyways, so I'm not upset about it.

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Nurses here have the same pumping rights as other employees in the public/private sectors, the system just has to be arranged to accommodate that value. (Our healthcare is not a "for-profit" system.) Yes, I have no doubt the U.S. Is far off.... Which is unfortunate!

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