Fed is Best
Breastfeeding-The dreaded topic for most mom's to be. The topic that causes so much controversy among moms. The topic that gets so much publicity for the wrong reasons.
"Breast is best"--There is no saying that I hate more, and I breastfed my son until he was just under 15 months old. When you're pregnant, you have all of these things that you worry about on a daily basis; "Did I drink enough water today?"; "When was the last time I felt the baby move?"; "How many pints of ice cream is too much in one day?" (very logical concern!). When you're a new mom, you have a lot of adjusting to do, and many difficult decisions to make. The last thing a mom wants to talk about with anyone, other than their OB and significant other, is whether or not they plan to breastfeed. They also have no interest in hearing your unsolicited thoughts. Mom's have enough going through their mind, and they don't need to deal with the stress of what other people think is best for their child.
Like I mentioned before, I breastfed my son. I knew in my heart that I wanted to breastfeed him, but I tried very hard to not get myself worked up about it. I wasn't preparing myself for failure, but I knew that not everyone has a great experience with breastfeeding, and I wanted to make sure that if I was one of those Mom's, that I wouldn't beat myself up over it. I was very fortunate to have a good experience right from the start. L was a champ with latching from the very beginning, and despite having to supplement with formula in the hospital to regulate his sugar, and having thrush 6 separate times (yes, SIX times!), overall I'd say the experience was a good one. Throughout my experience, I couldn't help but think about all the mom's who had wanted this, but couldn't make it work. I also couldn't stomach hearing stories of mom's who bottle fed, being humiliated, and belittled because of their choices, by other moms. I realized early on how lucky I really was, and knew that I would never judge another mother for choosing formula. In fact, I've made it a life goal.
The thing with breastfeeding, is you either want to do it, or you don't, and you truly have no idea until you have the baby. It's also one of those things that it either works or it doesn't. Sure, breast feeding is natural, babies are born with a natural sucking reflex, but you still have to teach the little babes how to do it, and do it properly. When you're exhausted from laboring and childbirth and the highs and lows of a new baby, that task can be extremely difficult. Add in obstacles like tongue tie or cracked nipples and it's enough to send mom over the edge, in her already very fragile state. I had no idea if I was going to be ok with breastfeeding. For a short period of time, (years before having my own child), I swore up and down that I would never do it, but then I did...for 15 months! Some mom's will try it and immediately decide it's not for them. Some will try for a little while, and decide that it's not something they feel like they can commit to. Some try it, love it, and do it for 4 years, and all of that is OK. Breastfeeding is a LOT of work. There are a lot of sleepless nights when you're up feeding your little one ,while you watch your S.O. sleep soundly next to you. If you're LO decides he's not going to take a bottle, then say goodbye to those girls nights for a little while. Then there's the pumping....don't even get me started on that! If it works for you, that's great, but if it doesn't, that's nothing to be ashamed of.
I say this all the time: As long as you are feeding your child, and meeting your child's needs, then that's all that matters. Obviously there's a lot more to parenting, but as far as source of food goes, making sure they are fed is what's really important. Breastfed babies are not going to grow up to be better than babies that are formula fed. Formula fed babies are not going to end up with diabetes because they drank "artificial milk" with extra sweeteners (this is FAR from being factual, but I've heard others say it, and truly believe it). Breastfed babies are not always 'healthier than formula fed babies'. Sure, they get important antibodies from breast milk, but it doesn't make them immune to all colds and infections. If you decide to stop breastfeeding for reasons you or other's deem "selfish"(newsflash, they aren't actual selfish reasons), because its not working for you or your LO, or you decide to not try it at all, none of that makes you less of a mother so DO NOT let anyone tell you that it does.
Being a mother is already a difficult task. Babies suck the life out of you, they make you question your abilities, your body is going through crazy changes, you're not getting sufficient sleep. The last thing we need as mom's, is to hear from other mom's that we are not making the right choices. Here's the thing, only you know what's best for your own child. EVERYONE has a different experience with motherhood. No one is the same. We need to stick together as mom's, not judge and put each other down. We need to share experiences and not give our unwanted opinions. We need to feel as though we can reach out to other mom's for support for anything, and not be instantly chastised for our decisions. If you have to chose formula to feed your little one, you are not poisoning your child. If you choose to breastfeed, that doesn't make you a better mom, or your little one better than formula fed babies. Breast is not best, FED is best. Whichever you chose, you are making the best decision that works for you and your family and at the end of the day, that is all that truly matters.
"Breast is best"--There is no saying that I hate more, and I breastfed my son until he was just under 15 months old. When you're pregnant, you have all of these things that you worry about on a daily basis; "Did I drink enough water today?"; "When was the last time I felt the baby move?"; "How many pints of ice cream is too much in one day?" (very logical concern!). When you're a new mom, you have a lot of adjusting to do, and many difficult decisions to make. The last thing a mom wants to talk about with anyone, other than their OB and significant other, is whether or not they plan to breastfeed. They also have no interest in hearing your unsolicited thoughts. Mom's have enough going through their mind, and they don't need to deal with the stress of what other people think is best for their child.
Like I mentioned before, I breastfed my son. I knew in my heart that I wanted to breastfeed him, but I tried very hard to not get myself worked up about it. I wasn't preparing myself for failure, but I knew that not everyone has a great experience with breastfeeding, and I wanted to make sure that if I was one of those Mom's, that I wouldn't beat myself up over it. I was very fortunate to have a good experience right from the start. L was a champ with latching from the very beginning, and despite having to supplement with formula in the hospital to regulate his sugar, and having thrush 6 separate times (yes, SIX times!), overall I'd say the experience was a good one. Throughout my experience, I couldn't help but think about all the mom's who had wanted this, but couldn't make it work. I also couldn't stomach hearing stories of mom's who bottle fed, being humiliated, and belittled because of their choices, by other moms. I realized early on how lucky I really was, and knew that I would never judge another mother for choosing formula. In fact, I've made it a life goal.
The thing with breastfeeding, is you either want to do it, or you don't, and you truly have no idea until you have the baby. It's also one of those things that it either works or it doesn't. Sure, breast feeding is natural, babies are born with a natural sucking reflex, but you still have to teach the little babes how to do it, and do it properly. When you're exhausted from laboring and childbirth and the highs and lows of a new baby, that task can be extremely difficult. Add in obstacles like tongue tie or cracked nipples and it's enough to send mom over the edge, in her already very fragile state. I had no idea if I was going to be ok with breastfeeding. For a short period of time, (years before having my own child), I swore up and down that I would never do it, but then I did...for 15 months! Some mom's will try it and immediately decide it's not for them. Some will try for a little while, and decide that it's not something they feel like they can commit to. Some try it, love it, and do it for 4 years, and all of that is OK. Breastfeeding is a LOT of work. There are a lot of sleepless nights when you're up feeding your little one ,while you watch your S.O. sleep soundly next to you. If you're LO decides he's not going to take a bottle, then say goodbye to those girls nights for a little while. Then there's the pumping....don't even get me started on that! If it works for you, that's great, but if it doesn't, that's nothing to be ashamed of.
I say this all the time: As long as you are feeding your child, and meeting your child's needs, then that's all that matters. Obviously there's a lot more to parenting, but as far as source of food goes, making sure they are fed is what's really important. Breastfed babies are not going to grow up to be better than babies that are formula fed. Formula fed babies are not going to end up with diabetes because they drank "artificial milk" with extra sweeteners (this is FAR from being factual, but I've heard others say it, and truly believe it). Breastfed babies are not always 'healthier than formula fed babies'. Sure, they get important antibodies from breast milk, but it doesn't make them immune to all colds and infections. If you decide to stop breastfeeding for reasons you or other's deem "selfish"(newsflash, they aren't actual selfish reasons), because its not working for you or your LO, or you decide to not try it at all, none of that makes you less of a mother so DO NOT let anyone tell you that it does.
Being a mother is already a difficult task. Babies suck the life out of you, they make you question your abilities, your body is going through crazy changes, you're not getting sufficient sleep. The last thing we need as mom's, is to hear from other mom's that we are not making the right choices. Here's the thing, only you know what's best for your own child. EVERYONE has a different experience with motherhood. No one is the same. We need to stick together as mom's, not judge and put each other down. We need to share experiences and not give our unwanted opinions. We need to feel as though we can reach out to other mom's for support for anything, and not be instantly chastised for our decisions. If you have to chose formula to feed your little one, you are not poisoning your child. If you choose to breastfeed, that doesn't make you a better mom, or your little one better than formula fed babies. Breast is not best, FED is best. Whichever you chose, you are making the best decision that works for you and your family and at the end of the day, that is all that truly matters.
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