...breast feeding

As with any of my posts, I only write from my personal experience. I spent so much of my time and energy focused on the childbirth part (pain! pain! pain!) and gave zero thought to what happens after the child is delivered. Well, that's not entirely true. We DID have the nursery set up. That equals like 1000 om points right?? But I think my view that it was the cheapest way to feed the child probably indicates where my head was going into the whole experience.

1. It's tough! Many people will tell you that breast feeding is the most natural bond between a mother and child. That's very true, but it's not the easiest thing to accomplish. It's not as easy as putting the child to your breast and letting nature take its course. There's position, latching, milk coming in, and a ton of other factors to consider. All this is daunting for new mothers, and the pressure associated with the benefits of breast feeding combined with a sleep deprived mom lead to a pressure cooker of emotions. As tough as it seems to you, know that other mothers have gone through something similar and that there are experts who can answer your questions and ease your concerns.

2. Formula is not the devil. At some point, many women have had to supplement our breastfeeding with formula. Listen, sister, if your milk hasn't come in, your baby needs to eat. If you aren't producing enough for your baby, don't feel bad about supplementing with formula. There are things you can supplement yourself with (Mother's milk tea and herbal supplements), but your baby's needs come first. If your concern is that your baby will get "nipple confusion", in all my conversations with my mom friends, nobody ever complained of nipple confusion. Don't let nipple confusion or pride or what people think or say be a concern for you. Your kid isn't going to remember that you formula fed it instead of breast fed it and you're kid is going to be smart or dumb regardless of what you feed them. There are so many other things to stress about, something like breast feeding shouldn't bat the top of the stress list.

3. It's not for everybody. If I had a nickel for every time someone has told me they were unable to successfully breast feed, I'd have a new car. There are many benefits to a formula only diet. One, hubby no longer has the excuse that you are the sole source of food. Two, there are no awkward, unnecessary stares when you're breastfeeding in public. Three, you never have to worry about "springing a leak" in the middle of a very important board presentation. Those are the main benefits I can think of off the top, but the list goes on and on and on. The most important thing I can say about this is you should not feel like a failure if you are not able to breastfeed. Trust and believe that you are in good company and moms all over the world have experienced the same frustration. Take this time to enjoy your child, enjoy mommyhood and enjoy this miracle you've produced. You never know when you'll look back and say "I wish I wasn't so worried about breast feeding. I could have been enjoying my time with my baby more."

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