Breastfeeding

[Casey_03]

I don't understand what the fuss is all about with breastfeeding, to be honest. Before I had my baby, I heard other women go on and on about how great it is, and I just don't get it. I am breastfeeding now and i don't feel like it creates more of a bond; it's certainly not a magical experience. It also just makes life a hell of a lot harder on me, so I feel like there are times when I could have been in a better mood/overall condition for my baby if I was not a slave to breastfeeding. There have also been more upset stomachs than there would have been with formula feeding, I suspect.

 

[Lotis]

here have also been more upset stomachs than there would have been with formula feeding, I suspect.

You are right. I also found that to be a HUGE difference between my sisters baby who was breastfed and mine. Her's constantly had tons of gas and cranky especially if she ate certain foods. Then she eventually had to eat really bland because anything too spicey was no good, foods that caused gas were no good. I think the one plus side was for her in that she dropped weight really fast when breastfeeding. LOL

~L

 

[Mountain Girl]

I homebirthed and breastfed my children....I'm one of "those" :laugh: lol.

That being said, I honestly got no joy from breastfeeding. It was hard for me, to put it nicely, my drinking fountains were too large for my babies' tiny "rosebud" mouths. It hurt! Every time they latched, I would have to adjust them for proper flow and it was painful. I'm normally a small chested lady but the girls blew up during my pregnancies (normal of course) and I was uncomfortable all the time. I ended up pumping and putting the babies on my breast only once or twice a day, always at home during a quiet time when we could be alone and I could relax.

I had a set schedule to pump so I could have privacy and calm. My milk came freely when I wasn't stressed, early in the morning especially, so I picked that as my main pumping time. I would watch TV in bed and zone out during the process. I won't lie, I often thought of myself as a dairy cow during those days....didn't help that if I wasn't pumping, I was doing laundry or some other mundane ("I'm stuck in the house with nothing else to do") task.

Now I know better....and plan on tackling breastfeeding in another way next time. Through talking with some of my very Pro-BFing friends and getting involved with community breastfeeding groups, I've learned a lot. My best advice to struggling Moms is to seek out support from other ladies - online is fine but being able to go somewhere (even just someone else's living room) and sit with other BFing Moms is the best. A good book is Ina May Gaskin's "Guide to Breastfeeding."

For those with guilt, don't feel ashamed.....especially if it came from hospital staff or someone without a child currently attached to their breast :p It's not their place, only you know your feelings. I will always be pro-BFing, but my Mom couldn't do it and my Grandmother refused to ("I'd rather wash the glass bottles!" she told me of her 5 pregnancies.) A little tip from my midwives was to have goats milk on hand if I ever needed a break...it's the best choice other than the breast. My kids did great with being supplemented with it and continue to drink it to this day :tup:

 

[Gs172003]

I don't understand what the fuss is all about with breastfeeding, to be honest. Before I had my baby,...

Not necessarily. Both my girls had colic and they were bottle fed.

 

[Pixielicious]

I could only breastfeed my children for 2-3 months per child.
My problem was that I was over producing milk and I had to use a breast pump to empty the excess milk, which I then froze.
But using the pump also made my breasts and nipples extremely sore, so in the end I gave up.. Meh... Ya not only did I feel like a human cow, I also felt like a faulty cow for not being able to continue to breastfeed my babies longer than 3 months... It Still bugs me today.

 

[Powder]

@missy meier

This is a good thread. I understood you the first time, by the way.

I'm sure the specific reason this is a trigger is buried inside trauma memory and amnesia, but I agree that you and the babies didn't miss out.

Research shows that just holding a baby for a bottle is for most babies all they needed and wanted. If you gave them clean formula or frozen milk and held them and kept them from harm, that is all they wanted and didn't miss a tiny little thing. Just ask them!

Do you think this is just something you need to work to understand right now? Why is it coming up now? (No need to answer, just food for though if helpful.) What is coming up for you that brings this feeling up, shame or feeling like you couldn't be there.

I'm sure this is a good thing that you are dealing with the feelings now.