I am only going to breast feed because of the weight loss benefits! Otherwise, I find very little appeal in it.
I promise you that once you start nursing your baby, you will find more appeal to it than just that.
Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing.
When I was pregnant with my first, I felt the same way you do.
When she was born I quickly learned how wonderful giving sustenance to your child was.
It's almost an unearthly feeling.
Like you and your child are the only two beings on earth at that time.
Only you can provide that nourishment for your baby.
No one else.
Once upon a time as a teenager, I babysat a cousin's formula-fed child. The royal PITA that was made me swear there & then to nurse my own children. Breastfeeding is the ultimate convenience food--you need no special equipment, there's no mixing involved, no making certain you have enough for the outing, nothing extra to carry, and it's always the perfect temperature. And that's leaving aside all the many health benefits for mother and child.
The best thing about bf is when you go somewhere you don't need to take any bottles on your trip. When I had my daughter (Formula fed) 15 years ago, I had to take 2 bottles just to go out for 2 hours. Just to make sure I had enough for her to eat.
And we save so much money. Formula costs soooooo much!
So true. I didn't realize that until you said that. Could it be b/c of these Gov. programs? Since I was the first one in either of our families to bf, they were telling me I should stop bf b/c I might be starving my ds. My husband quickly shut them all up by telling them the benifits and also how much money we were saving by bf. I have a sister-in-law who is struggling financialy but she is getting formula through WIC.
I honestly think it is a combination of factors. Lower-income women tend to be less educated on the benefits of breastfeeding, WIC apparently doesn't push it, God knows doctors don't in my experience...And, well, if you have to work for a living, breastfeeding is infinitely more difficult. Lots of women have to fight for time & a place to pump.
I promise you that once you start nursing your baby, you will find more appeal to it than just that.
Some women really don't enjoy it, even find it painful beyond the first weeks of sore, cracked nipples. She shouldn't be made to feel odd because she doesn't like it. I have known women who pumped because they were just very disgusted by the whole idea - whether a physiological cause, the way they were raised, whatever, who knows why - but they still understood the benefits of breastfeeding and took care to give their babies breastmilk anyway.
my son now 7months old.....was born via C-section 5 days late he was almost 10lbs. he had extra fluid in his lungs and was sent to another hospital that had a great nicu unit. he was only supposed to be there for a day then was to be returned well that didn't work out, that night my husband was with him and he developed seizures (they can't figure out why he had them) he's all better now and i was moved to that hospital 2 am monday morning he had been there since 11:00 pm saturday night.
but since he couldn't latch on right away although he tried. (cause he was breathing way to hard to latch on) i still pumped for him, i delt with cracked nipples my nipples sometimes bleeding. but they had to measure his food intake and for a few days was fed thru a feeding tube. but 10 days later i was able to nurse him.
but it's a womans choice to do it or not. and he has to be supplemented with formula cause he wasn't gaining enough. but i'm still Breast feeding him and he's eating prepared foods ( i grinde up all his food no point in buying baby food).
Good for you Zacksmom,
I also went through my struggles with nursing. Sore nipples, bleeding, growth spirts, and also bad latches on one breast. But by 13 weeks he was doing great. I had people telling me to quit, no one would fault me for not going all the way. My son hated formula, I just couldn't imagine doing that to him b/c I was uncomfortable. Believe me I cryed many times. Called LLL almost every other day. I would call my husband at work and tell him, I wanted to quit. It was not easy. Even now I still have problems with that same breast.
I know the WIC offices around here really try to push B/F now. They offer you a pump after you've been exclusivley BF for six weeks (as long as you aren't getting the formula vouchers) and you personally can stay on the program for a year (instead of 6 months) and they give you carrots and tuna (I know not a whole lot) in addition to everything else on there. It could just be and Okla. thing or a rural thing, I'm not sure.
I am, and will remain, a nursing partisan. It is one of the most important things you can do for your child. Breastmilk is species-specific. I am glad formula is there for women who need it, but I'm not going to be supportive of switching to formula just because you're not losing weight breastfeeding. There are a lot of women who have difficulty nursing but stick with it because they know it is the best thing for their child.
I have to confess - even though I plan on BF'ing, I don't know how I'm going to stop laughing because it is the one thing that freaks me out the most about having a baby...more than labour. It's not that I think BF'ing is gross, but I have heard so many horror stories about how much it hurts...I'm afraid of the complications, pain, bleeding and infection.
But I also think that a baby getting food out of my boobs is hilarious too...maybe my laughter will override the pain...
There are alot of women who have bf with no problems. Unfortunately I was not one of them. The best thing to do if you are really serious about bf, you should find a lactation consultant.
I also felt weird about bf before I had my son b/c I had no idea what it would feel like much less what I was doing. Not until after weeks of problems is when I finally sought help.
If you do look for a LC it would be better to go to a private LC. My SIL went through her hospital, once she had the baby they went completely against her efforts to bf. She ended up going through depression thinking she was a bad mother b/c she couldn't bf.
response to the weight loss benefit quote
