My biggest question today is...To Breastfeed or Not to Breastfeed (that is the question, haha!)? I hated it the first time. Well, hate is a very strong word. I very much disliked it the first time. All this smog about 'convenience' and 'easy temperature controlled milk' and 'cheap'...well I don't agree. Here are my points....
- Saves You Money: I still had to buy the bottles for daycare. Because I nursed we had to try (& throw away) a million types of bottles, formulas & nipples to find the right combination with Olivia. Mind you the 'really cheap' (insert sarcasm font) milking machine I had to buy. I would say on a 'saves you money' scale we did not come out ahead on this.
- Convenience: I get it. I do. And really wish I wasn't so 'shy'. But for me there is nothing convenient about whipping my boobies out in public to feed my baby. However I do think it is very convenient to stay 100% clothed, shake up a bottle of formula & feed the baby by bottle. Once with Olivia I fed her in public, at lunch with my Grandma at a restaurant with no other patrons besides us. And I had my chest very well hid under a huge blanket. As a 2nd time Mommy I do think I can do better with this. Like utilize the corner table in the Target deli, instead of asking the clerks to watch my cart while I run out to the car to feed my child in the backseat & resume shopping in 45 mins. Or go to teh Sears wing of the Mall where minimal patrons roam. Yes I know. I can do better.....BUT......
- Temperature Control: Eh. I find it just as easy to warm milk in a glass cup for 13 seconds or however many my new microwave allows.
- *Low Odor Poopy: Got me on this. This was a bonus! Loved the fact her BM didn't stink!
So what I am saying is. Show me some love, I could really use some pick me ups. Some tips. Some tricks. Some, Trish you gotta do this agains. HELP!
I know I sound so selfish. I know the baby's needs should come before my own. I just am on a 'I hate breastfeeding kick' right now. So, can you sell me on it? Let's see you work some boobie loving magic on me!!
10 comments:
Ok, breastfeeding has been no walk in the park for me either (Hello, Mastitis!!), and I'm not a fan of feeding in public. I found the occasional dressing room worked for me. Kendall, however, was pretty easy with bottles- I usually (still do) supplement with formula while away from the house, and breastfeed at home. I thought I'd be done with breatfeeding by now (she's 5 1/2 months), but I've grown to love that time with her. Cheesy, I know, but when she holds my finger and looks up at me...heaven.
Oh, and formula spit up is the WORST!!!
I can't help it, I'm a pro pro pro nursing mama! No one could convince me that formula is cheaper, more convenient, or simpler. Never. Sorry! ;) I nursed Julia until 16 mos. and Genevieve until 19. They self-weaned then. With Julia I had many, many breastfeeding complications for the first 3 mos. or so. Pain, infections, you name it. But then everything clicked and it was great. With Genevieve, never an ounce (no pun intended!) of trouble. I produced to much milk I had to pump for comfort, and had tons in the freezer even though I didn't need it b/c she wasn't in daycare! My milk came in sooner, I made way more, there were NO plugged ducts, infections, or any other problems, and it was as easy as pie. You NEVER know how it's going to be the 2nd time around.
Also, Julia would not tolerate nursing under a blanket, so from almost day one I became perfectly comfortable nursing anywhere and everywhere. I once nursed her while giving a guest lecture in a college women's health class! Yes, WHILE LECTURING in front of a room of students (all female), I nursed. I had to! She was with me (I had no daycare), the prof still wanted me to come, and toward the end, she got hungry and fussy.
Seriously--nursing is becoming so much more common, no one will look at you much. All you really need is a bench or chair to sit down on. I don't remember ever even getting a 2nd glance when I nursed my babies in public.
And add up all that formula and it WILL be way more expensive, even factoring in the bottles, nipples, and pump, I guarantee it! (Plus this time around you already have the pump!)
Sorry, I am biased!!!!! :) :) :)
I'm all for breastfeeding, it's time for just you and baby that you can't ever get back. Nursing my first, Brady, was a NIGHTMARE! My milk didn't come in for 10 days, he was a snacker so I was nursing him every 2 hours and it took him a full hour to eat and I got mastitis in both sides. I never had quite enough to keep him full but I did it anyway.
None of that even entered my mind when deciding to nurse Samantha - I knew I was going to do it because I LOVED that I was the only one who could provide her with that vital necessity. And when she was done and would look up at me and smile . . . tears of joy, every time. She was a MUCH better nurser so that was wonderful.
I bought a "hooter hider" at the street fair last year that completely hid me and I took it everywhere - I loved it! You can borrow it if you'd like! I decided that if ppl couldn't handle me nursing my child while covered up - they needed to get a life. I certainly didn't sit in the center of a busy place, but didn't huddle in a dark corner either.
And - I agree that after you add up everything, you still come out ahead with nursing and you have everything this time, including the pump. AND nothing smells worse than sour formula that's been spit up!!
Thank you ladies! Wow you gals are the PRO-Nursers! I have decided I am going to giver 'er a try. Not promising time, just going for it, giving it my all and when it's over it's over. Who knows...mabye I will be a pro!
I already have a 'feeling'. My ta-tas are BIG and SORE this time. Which means they are ready to work. I think that's what it means.
Thanks for the feedback!! My goal is to be less strict w/ the 'only breast milk' rule and use bottles while shopping and/or out to dinner if needed. Maybe if I am less stressed, it will work the way it should!
Will keep you posted I AM SURE!
PS: Shan my brothers & I still talk & giggle profusly about your little Julia 'nursing' her babies @ your parents anniversary party when you were nursing Vivi! Hehe! We are already banking on Olivia being the same way. She LOVES her baby dolls and would do ANYTHING for them!
Trish--that is so funny, I have NO memory of that AT ALL. Of course I had a 4 month old and a 2 year old and so was profoundly sleep deprived and remember very little of anything that happened during that year! Ha!!!
trish - you obviously know im a pro nurser too so i won't rehash what has already been said. and while the first time was super easy this time is even better.
but, i just wanted to add a happy momma makes a happy baby. as much as i believe nursing is truly the best choice, no matter the inconveniences, you have to do what is right for you two as a PAIR. it's a beautiful partnership we have with our babes, and so important we honor each member involved in order to achieve the best results.
much love and support, whatever you decide.
Oh, Trish, one thing I wanted to add. When I had my first baby I read a quote that was something like, "Nursing is not simply a feeding option. It is a lifestyle choice." and I think that is SO true and so important to realize. I honestly believe that moms who view it that way, and are realistic about the fact that bf'ing truly does dictate a lot about your entire lifestyle while you are doing it, are more satisfied with and successful at nursing. B/c otherwise the demands involved are so difficult to accept! But if you prepare yourself for choosing the lifestyle of nursing rather than just the "feeding option" of nursing, it can be awesome, super convenient, and make your life a lot easier (assuming you don't have any physical bf'ing complications of course).
Also--one last thing--HELLO BEST DIET EVER!!!! I lost 18 lbs. in 14 days after both my babies' births, and when G. was a newborn and I was producing SO much milk, I lost the last 6 lbs. in another week. And I was eating CONSTANTLY and stuffing as many high-calorie foods into my piehole as possible b/c if I didn't I would get lightheaded from hunger. And this metabolism boost lasted the entire time I nursed. I ate like a teenage football player for a year and a half.
Oops--I meant to say I lost the last 6 lbs. of baby weight in another MONTH, not another week. But still, that means I lost my 24 pregnancy lbs. in only 6 weeks while nursing. Awesome!
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