Okay, I don't give a flying you know what what the books, nurses or been there done that mothers say. Breastfeeding is HARD. It takes serious work. After a while it does get easier, but there are so many things that can cause issues, things that no one even thinks about on the front end. Dairy sensitivity, peanut allergy, soy sensitivity, etc. Engorgement, oversupply, oald (over active let down), mastitis, thrush, cracked and sore nipples. Nipple confusion, nursing strikes, bottle refusal. If you can think of it, it can be a problem, and then some. That's not to say I don't think it's not worth it. On the contrary, it is totally worth it. And it DOES get easier. I do think however, that breastfeeding moms deserve a lot more credit than they will ever, EVER get. It takes a strong, determined woman who is absolutely committed to the idea of breast feeding for it to ever last. And that's also not to say that those who choose not to breastfeed are wrong. Not at all. It is a personal choice, and it should not be considered the measure of a mother or how much they love their child as to whether they breastfeed or formula feed.
All I'm saying is. We deserve some serious respect because we have stood up to quite a challenge. I realized today that with everything we've gone through, back and forth with the breastfeeding, we have actually been breastfeeding for over three months now (give or take a week between trying to figure out allergies, stomach issues and such)! Three months seems pretty damn impressive to me, so I'm gonna pat myself on the back and put up my three month award from Kellymom over in my sidebar. So if you've been breastfeeding, or have breastfed in the past, feel free to brag about it!
5 comments:
I breastfed both my boys for six months apiece. I might have done it longer, but I work, and holing myself up in a windowless room for half an hour to an hour (depends if I did it once or twice in a day) to pump just grew old after a while.
It is hard, but I was proud of myself that I did it for both of them. Though my second always ate so much that Mommy wasn't even quite enough for him. The flip side of that is that we never had to worry about bottle refusal. He refused NOTHING.
3 months is a great milestone! It keeps getting easier and easier! At almost 17 months my son is a pro and nothing clams a tantrum like nursing!
Keep going, you are doing an awesome job!
You're absolutely right. Just because breastfeeding is "natural" doesn't mean it's easy.
While I miss the closeness that I had with my kids when they were nursing, I have to be honest and say that it is not something I miss. It was not the most enjoyable part of the first year for me. See your doctor about it, there are things that you can do to make it easier and a nicer process for you and your child. And yes I know the pain ouch! But there are some neat tricks that will help ease that pain a bit.
Personal help trying to conceive form a mother who's been there :)
Breastfeeding Princess was a horrible ordeal that lasted for 6 weeks. I am hoping to be able to breastfeed my new baby though.
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