My breastfeeding journey

These are my views on breastfeeding.When I was pregnant I started reading about breastfeeding, I was amazed by the facts that most moms ignore nowadays. Like the fact that exclusively breastfeeding for the first 6 months  promotes optimal early childhood brain development, and that breastfed babies do better when they reach kindergarten and as they progress through school, and they score higher on IQ tests (Can't remember where I read it, but it was a credible source). Obviously, formula fed babies are smart too, I am not saying the opposite, and I also know that breastfed babies sometimes do worst than formula babies, but just in case I wanted to make sure I did every thing I could to breastfed Lisa as long as I could. I also get the sense that a lot of moms think that breastfeeding is old school somehow; they prefer to prepare a bottle for their babies. So with my new found knowledge I pledged that I would only give the best to my baby, and cliché or not breastfeeding IS THE BEST. Mike and I attended a breastfeeding class and learned a whole lot more. We came out of the class determined we were going to make it work. The instructor said that sometimes breastfeeding is painful the first days, but that if you did your best to have your baby latched correctly then you would not have to hurt (which by the way is not true, you CAN hurt even if your latch is fine). That was the first time I heard that breastfeeding might be painful. Then I talked to Mike’s mom Sherrie and she told me that is was VERY painful at first, then his sister Crystal told me the same. It wasn't until the second day of nursing Lisa that I realized how painful it really was. Lisa was born on a Tuesday and by Friday my nipples were bleeding so bad that the nursing pads were stained with blood. I wanted to quit, I thought that even though I wanted the best for my baby maybe the best for my baby was to have a sane mother. However, my loved ones wouldn't let me quit, and I am grateful for them. Mike, my mom, and my mother in-law kept telling me that the pain was going to go away. The pain did go away, but I hated the first three months of breastfeeding. However, I could see the difference between my baby and babies that were formula fed, even babies who were supplemented with formula. I will never judge a mom who is not physically able to breastfeed for giving her baby formula, if you can't you can't and nobody should judge you because of that, but I will be very disappointed with myself if I know that I am able to do it and I chose not to do it for reasons that would only benefit me and not my baby. After all when you feed your baby formula you don't have to worry about dieting, what you wear, or even you being the one getting up every single time. I remember one day that I thought I couldn't handle the pain anymore, when Mike got home I told him that I was going to give Lisa some formula because I didn't want to nurse anymore. He asked me what the benefits of formula would be for Lisa and I couldn't answer. I realized that formula feeding would only benefit me, and it felt horrible to be that way after I had promised to give her only the best. So I continued nursing although I wasn't very happy. Breastfeeding is so consuming, it takes time and patience, and in the first three months I never felt that bond that all moms talk about, I felt like it was just another sacrifice of being a mother. To add to all the cons I have always had a hard time losing weight, the only effective way for me is near starvation, which you can’t do while you are breastfeeding. And then all of the sudden it all stopped, no more pain or resentment anymore. By the time we went to Utah for thanksgiving I felt like a pro. I then could say all the good things about breastfeeding, that it is the best gift you could give your child, and yourself. I might not have all the facts at hand, and maybe my experience does not reflect that of every single mom, but I know that my baby will benefit from it throughout her life. I don’t even have a problem nursing in public; I have never done it without a cover, but I nurse whenever and wherever my bay is hungry. Today I can say that I successfully and exclusively breastfed Lisa for the first 6 months of her life and that today I still breastfeed her 3 times a day. I have to admit that I look forward to wean her completely, but I am in no hurry. She is less interested every day now that she gets more milk from her zippy cup. I actually miss the quiet moments; I miss the bond that all moms talk about because I know how powerful it is. I miss the way they look after their tummy is full of mom’s milk. Breastfeeding has given me a sense of accomplishment that I don’t get even with my perfect grades at school. It is empowering to know that my body is able to sustain another human being for at least six months or more, and that the benefits of it go beyond what we can explain. I know now that even working mothers are able to exclusively breastfeed their babies and I respect them even more. Lastly, one of the things that I love about breastfeeding is that we never spent a cent on formula. Breastfeeding might not be free, my time has value, but it is very cheap compared to formula feeding.I do not have pictures of me nursing now that I think about it, I wish I had. These are pictures of Lisa right after nursing.

I also miss the sweet smelling poop.I thought her diaper were bad, but then at 6 months when she started solids I realized I had no idea.

At the end it doesn't really matter how you feed your baby as long as you do it having in mind the best for them. I was reading this article yesterday since this week is Breastfeeding Week. I loved it.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-simon/milk-drunk-breastfeeding_b_3494130.html?ref=topbar