Happy World Breastfeeding Week!!!
Here we are, World Breastfeeding Week. National Breastfeeding Month. With it comes tons of great events but also lots of controversy. There will alway sbe the debate: Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding. Just like anything else that is parenting.... circumcision vs. intact, cloth diapers vs. disposable, natural birth vs. medicated birth, home birth vs. hospital birth, and the list goes on and on. there will always be many people on both sides of all of these debates.
I have my own thoughts about breastfeeding and many people agree and many dont. As I have written in past posts, breastfeeding wasnt even a decision to be made for me. I was going to exclusively breastfeed. there was no question about it. When I had a hemmorage after my c-section delivery, my body didn't have milk production at the top of the list. So, there we were with a screaming newborn, not even a few hours old with low blood sugar. We tried to get him to latch, yeah right. I was laying half dead (or so i felt) in a hospital bed, bleeding more than we realized at the time, and we had a ravenous newborn trying to latch on. It wasnt happening. So, we OK'd formula to supplement until my milk came in. It took 4 days before I got any milk, and when I did it was only an ounce after having pumped for close to a half hour. This was also the day that our newborn was rushed to the NICU. Once there, he was waking up every few hours on the hour ravenous. and I mean SCREAMING hungry from a dead sleep. So, I pumped and pumped and pumped some more. pumping became my life. I pumped at home and at the hospital during the day.
Finally we got our baby home and I pumped enough for the next feeding, fed him and pumped again and it was an ongoing cycle like that for weeks. I thought I would never breastfeed. We had to supplement with formula again once we were home at one point because my supply did not meet his demand. But then my supply was on over drive and I was able to pump enough for him plus some, which I was EXTREMELY proud of.
We had tried to latch in the NICU...again, yea right. He had oxygen on plus other wires and monitors and it just wasn't happeneing. He was comfortable and I was comfortable, but I had the support. I had the help. The nurses and lactation consultants were wonderful! Even the VNA's were great and helpful.
Then, one day, I FINALLY after many attempts got my little guy to latch on and breastfeed successfully. It was with a nipple shield, but we were doing it and I was ecstatic.
After that happended I started to go to the breastfeeding support group that they offer at the hospital on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. Every single MWF, that is where you could find me. I went consistently. I had the support and help I needed and got my questions answered and I was around other breastfeeding mothers. We shared commonalities. It was great!
Here I am today, with a 19 pound 5 month old who is now exclusively breastfed. If he is close enough, he can latch himself on without me helping him or getting him into position yet. That is a complete turn around from when we started when he wouldn't even close his mouth around my nipples at all. He would not latch. at all. at first...and here we are, he can latch on with no hesitation. I am SO very proud of myself and him. I am happy that I stuck with it even during the times when it would have been very easy to give up. I love breastfeeding and I will continue to breastfeed until he self weans at whatever age that might be.
Now that I have told my story, here are a few thoughts. As mothers, we all have one main goal to feed our babies well. We want a well fed baby that is growing and developing. breast milk or formula, either way, we all want the same thing. Breastfeeding mothers are all too often criticized for feeding in public even with a cover. Bottle feeding has been and always will be accepted and 'normal'...people do not even question bottle feeding. they dont look twice.
breastfeeding is so widely promoted and talked about because breastfeeding should be accepted and 'normal' too! breastfeeding mothers should not get shunned to bathroom stalls or given dirty looks or have rude comments made to them. People shouldn't look twice at a breastfeeding mother. This is what we are striving for. normalize breastfeeding. In other countries, people don't look twice at a breastfeeding mother but here in America, they do, and it is a shame.
breasts are for too sexualized and this contributes to the problem of people thinking its rude to expose ourseleves, even though we are feeding our children. so many people say "have some decency and cover up" or "i dont wanna see that" .....if you dont want to see it, DON'T LOOK. A breastfeeding mother should be just as comfortable as a bottle feeding mother. A mother who bottle feeds NEVER has to explain why she is bottle feeding in public, so neither should a mother who breastfeeds.
If a mother chooses formula, that is A. OK. Each mother chooses what is best for her, her baby and her family. Each set of parents choose what is best for their situation. But, if a mother chooses formula becasue she doesnt have enough breastfeeding support, that is a problem. If a mother chooses formula because she feels like she has no other option, that is a problem. If a mother chooses formula because she doesnt have enough information or help, there is an issue with that.
In my opinion, if a mother is choosing formula because of a lack of knowledge, support, help, than that is an issue and we need to work to get mothers the support and information they need!
My only issue with mothers who choose formula is if they choose is becasue they just dont want to breastfeed. Yes, this is their choice. But, breast milk is the optimal , best option, greatest nutrition for a baby. So why wouldn't you choose that if you could?! If you are able to produce milk, and you are able to latch your baby, or you are able to pump...why wouldnt you? In my opinion, when you know better, you do better. And if you know that breast is best, why would you choose not to give your baby the best that you can?
again these are just my honest opinions and thoughts. I could go on and on and on about this topic but I think that is enough for now.
Until next post... love & light!
I have my own thoughts about breastfeeding and many people agree and many dont. As I have written in past posts, breastfeeding wasnt even a decision to be made for me. I was going to exclusively breastfeed. there was no question about it. When I had a hemmorage after my c-section delivery, my body didn't have milk production at the top of the list. So, there we were with a screaming newborn, not even a few hours old with low blood sugar. We tried to get him to latch, yeah right. I was laying half dead (or so i felt) in a hospital bed, bleeding more than we realized at the time, and we had a ravenous newborn trying to latch on. It wasnt happening. So, we OK'd formula to supplement until my milk came in. It took 4 days before I got any milk, and when I did it was only an ounce after having pumped for close to a half hour. This was also the day that our newborn was rushed to the NICU. Once there, he was waking up every few hours on the hour ravenous. and I mean SCREAMING hungry from a dead sleep. So, I pumped and pumped and pumped some more. pumping became my life. I pumped at home and at the hospital during the day.
Finally we got our baby home and I pumped enough for the next feeding, fed him and pumped again and it was an ongoing cycle like that for weeks. I thought I would never breastfeed. We had to supplement with formula again once we were home at one point because my supply did not meet his demand. But then my supply was on over drive and I was able to pump enough for him plus some, which I was EXTREMELY proud of.
We had tried to latch in the NICU...again, yea right. He had oxygen on plus other wires and monitors and it just wasn't happeneing. He was comfortable and I was comfortable, but I had the support. I had the help. The nurses and lactation consultants were wonderful! Even the VNA's were great and helpful.
Then, one day, I FINALLY after many attempts got my little guy to latch on and breastfeed successfully. It was with a nipple shield, but we were doing it and I was ecstatic.
After that happended I started to go to the breastfeeding support group that they offer at the hospital on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. Every single MWF, that is where you could find me. I went consistently. I had the support and help I needed and got my questions answered and I was around other breastfeeding mothers. We shared commonalities. It was great!
Here I am today, with a 19 pound 5 month old who is now exclusively breastfed. If he is close enough, he can latch himself on without me helping him or getting him into position yet. That is a complete turn around from when we started when he wouldn't even close his mouth around my nipples at all. He would not latch. at all. at first...and here we are, he can latch on with no hesitation. I am SO very proud of myself and him. I am happy that I stuck with it even during the times when it would have been very easy to give up. I love breastfeeding and I will continue to breastfeed until he self weans at whatever age that might be.
Now that I have told my story, here are a few thoughts. As mothers, we all have one main goal to feed our babies well. We want a well fed baby that is growing and developing. breast milk or formula, either way, we all want the same thing. Breastfeeding mothers are all too often criticized for feeding in public even with a cover. Bottle feeding has been and always will be accepted and 'normal'...people do not even question bottle feeding. they dont look twice.
breastfeeding is so widely promoted and talked about because breastfeeding should be accepted and 'normal' too! breastfeeding mothers should not get shunned to bathroom stalls or given dirty looks or have rude comments made to them. People shouldn't look twice at a breastfeeding mother. This is what we are striving for. normalize breastfeeding. In other countries, people don't look twice at a breastfeeding mother but here in America, they do, and it is a shame.
breasts are for too sexualized and this contributes to the problem of people thinking its rude to expose ourseleves, even though we are feeding our children. so many people say "have some decency and cover up" or "i dont wanna see that" .....if you dont want to see it, DON'T LOOK. A breastfeeding mother should be just as comfortable as a bottle feeding mother. A mother who bottle feeds NEVER has to explain why she is bottle feeding in public, so neither should a mother who breastfeeds.
If a mother chooses formula, that is A. OK. Each mother chooses what is best for her, her baby and her family. Each set of parents choose what is best for their situation. But, if a mother chooses formula becasue she doesnt have enough breastfeeding support, that is a problem. If a mother chooses formula because she feels like she has no other option, that is a problem. If a mother chooses formula because she doesnt have enough information or help, there is an issue with that.
In my opinion, if a mother is choosing formula because of a lack of knowledge, support, help, than that is an issue and we need to work to get mothers the support and information they need!
My only issue with mothers who choose formula is if they choose is becasue they just dont want to breastfeed. Yes, this is their choice. But, breast milk is the optimal , best option, greatest nutrition for a baby. So why wouldn't you choose that if you could?! If you are able to produce milk, and you are able to latch your baby, or you are able to pump...why wouldnt you? In my opinion, when you know better, you do better. And if you know that breast is best, why would you choose not to give your baby the best that you can?
again these are just my honest opinions and thoughts. I could go on and on and on about this topic but I think that is enough for now.
Until next post... love & light!
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