Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape or form, judging other mommas who made different decisions than me. The best way to feed your baby is a personal choice so please do not think I’m judging any other momma. We’ve got enough people judging us as it is for the parenting choices we all make.
Breastfeeding
Allow me to start off by saying that breastfeeding isn’t my favourite thing to do and it’s probably among the hardest things I’ve ever done. Now, I’ve breastfed both of my children and have completed the year that’s recommended by the AAP, it simply isn’t all it is cracked up to be. Despite the fact that it isn’t my favourite thing to do, I’ll gladly sacrifice annually to breastfeed my children since it was what is best for my loved ones. However you choose to raise your kids, you need to make the best decisions for your loved ones and your situation.
For my loved ones, breastfeeding was the best alternative. Because of the health advantages of breastfeeding, I wanted to make it work. God blessed me with a fantastic friend, who also happened to be a lactation consultant, and if it was not for her I probably would have stopped. Keep reading to discover the good, bad and ugly about MY breastfeeding experience.
Advantages
Breastfeeding has numerous advantages. Some of the primary benefits are that it’s cheaper financially, makes it possible to drop the baby weight, helps with infant bonding and is healthier for your baby. I’ll say that it did help me lose the baby weight and was MUCH cheaper. Besides the expenses for the pump, bottles, nipples and pumping accessories (hands-free bra, steam bags, etc.), the milk itself is completely free. Most of the gear and accessories are reusable and there are just a few things which will need to be purchased on a regular basis (steam bags, freezer bags).
There’s also something empowering about knowing your milk is providing the essential nutrients for your baby. For the first six months I did not actually introduce solid foods, so that they lived on my milk . Discuss making a girl feel good! I really do believe the health benefits alone were sufficient to convince me to give it a go. Jujubean did not get her first ear infection until she was 15 months old and I contribute that partially to breastfeeding. Bugaboo, on the other hand, has not been as blessed in that department. She’s had several incidences of illness. Being born at the winter did not help her delicate immune system ! The worst parts for me were the pumping and needing to sanitize the components everyday.
I hate pumping
Being milked like a cow is unappealing to me. On top of having to drag the pump to and from work, I needed to find a quiet place to do my company in the event the school program changed (which it did for examinations, coaching, etc.) and locate other teachers to pay for my classes. Most of the times I had to sit in our science stockroom when I could not use my classroom. Next, you always hear how cellular breastfeeding is. For someone like me that won’t feed in public, it’s more of a drawback. Allow me to stop and say I am in no way offended by anyone who chooses to feed their infant in public. In actuality, I respect you. I WISH I COULD BE MORE LIKE YOU! I wish I could be more comfortable feeding my baby in public.
I usually pump until we go out or need to feed in the vehicle, which is no fun because I’m personally not comfortable doing it in public. If you do not pump and just nurse, it’s difficult to know how much your baby is getting. The only way you know is by counting the diapers and making certain that you have sufficient output. The Alpha Parent is a fantastic source for information broken down by your child’s age. For an OCD, Type Someone like myself, I tended to panic if my women didn’t hit the perfect number of diapers everyday! I downloaded an app which enabled me to keep count of diapers and feedings.
Good to know
There are a lot of free programs out there to help! Now let us proceed to the ugly side of breastfeeding. When I first began breastfeeding, I was advised to give it three weeks. If I could make it through three weeks, then it would get better. Boy let me tell you! Those 3 weeks are excruciating! Between the raw, chapped nipples, engorgement, mastitis and plugged ducts, breastfeeding can be downright painful. It doesn’t get much better the second go around. I had to go through exactly the exact same pain the next time with Bugaboo. I recall one time specifically with Jujubean, they were so chapped they began to bleed. Trying to pump when they’re chapped is awful and I would need to grit my teeth to get through a pumping session.