My thoughts on Breastfeeding...

I decided a long time ago that I was not going to breastfeed. Well let's face it, I also decided I wasn't going to have children either. ;-) I didn't want to breastfeed because as it turns out, I was misinformed. I thought it would hurt (irony is it does with us but that's not the norm, we're, as you know, having issues) I mean how can it not hurt? A person is sucking with all its might on your nipples for hours a day, ouch! I thought I'd never be able to drink while breastfeeding and let's face it, I'm a fan of the ale! I thought my personal diet would have to be very limited. I thought I'd not be able to take my migraine medication, or any medication. In short, I was wrong.

In fact, breastfeeding does not hurt, when done properly. Sure you're a tad sore at first but breastfeeding without complications like thrush, which we have, isn't painful at all. Until we got thrush, breastfeeding was fine and I was in no pain at all!

And yes, you can have a glass of wine or a mug o' ale and breastfeed! In fact, beer, dark beer, is healthy for breastfeeding, it increases milk supply.

And yes, I can take my medication. My Dr told me what meds I can and can not take while breastfeeding, and nearly all of them are a go!

I can eat almost anything I want. Thus far we've not had too many issues with him not liking my milk or getting sick off it. (the formula, that's a different story)

Are there drawbacks to breastfeeding? Sure. For one, it's convenient to bottle feed (even more to bottle feed formula, no pumping required!).

In MY case, and not everyone is the same, it takes William anywhere from 60-120 minutes to nurse...now that's a long time. If I have somewhere I need to go, I don't have 2 hrs to nurse him. If I 'am' out, I don't have two hours to pull over or sit at the mall and nurse either. He'll down a bottle in a few minutes flat, but on me, he falls asleep....and stays asleep. Once I remove him, he wakes up, hungry and crying until I re-latch him...two minutes later...asleep again. Ugh.

Another plus is other people can feed him to give me a break! Now if someone else feeds him bottled breast milk then it's still breastfeeding so far as I'm concerned. Of course that requires copious amounts of pumping. When do you have time to pump if you're nursing?

If you're shy about nursing in public, then bottle feeding is the way to go! Otherwise you're stuck hiding in a ladies lounge or bathroom or your car. There is the hooter-hider for those more bold, or foregoing all forms of 'hiding' for the truly brave.

It's also easier to administer medications to the baby by putting them in the bottle too.

These are the only positives I see to bottle (formula) feeding. Let's talk about the hassles of bottle feeding. First, there's the cost. Formula is outrageous! But even more than that, is the cost of bottles! Bottles, good ones, are $10 a piece! Then you need to replace nipples from time to time. Unless you're cheap like me and enjoy washing bottles all the time, you'll need lot's of bottles....lots. We've gotten by just fine with 10 bottles, in three different sizes, but I mostly breastfeed.

Some will say to sanitize bottles after every feed, another cost, another annoyance. Then there's the 'bottle warmer'...I personally just run the bottle under hot tap water or put hot water in a coffee mug and place the bottle in that, done! Still a pain in the butt though.

Bottles weigh down your diaper bag. You can't leave unless you have bottles and purified water and formula, which means toting around a plastic bin that holds formula. What a pain! Oh and water, can't just use any old water, you need "nursery" water...or purified water, or water that costs freakin' MONEY!

I'm not even talking about the health stuff yet, am I? ;-) I mean that's a given that breast milk is healthier than any formula, and there's not debating that!

YES, a booby picture!

So, what changed my mind about breastfeeding? COST! I saw how much formula costs ($24-$26...a week) and said, um...no...breast milk is free! Well it's almost free. There's the cost of the pump, $100, and the nursing pads, $6 a month or so, and nipple cream, $11, and nursing bras, $24, and nursing tanks, $15, and nursing night gowns, $30....okay I think that's it. It's still cheaper than formula.

After I made the decision to breastfeed, I guess when I was five months pregnant, I started to do some research. Yes, it's good for the baby, yes it's good for the mother. Just read all the stuff about cancer and such here (http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-breastfeeding-benefits-you-and-your-baby_8910.bc?page=3) Who knew that breastfeeding can lower the chances of you getting certain cancers and even osteoporosis!

Did you know breast milk can cure pink eye and ear infections? (http://www.pregnancy-info.net/breastfeeding_illness.html)

I can't help but wonder, and this is personal opinion, why cancer rates in children and adults have skyrocketed in the last 100 years, as well as autism. YES breastfed babies get cancer and autism but it just seems the rates of these instances have escalated in the last 100 years, which is about the same time people started phasing away from breast milk and began using evaporated milk and other substitutes.

Now, all the cancer and other diseases could as easily be explained by our environment, the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe. Perhaps we're transferring these toxins to our young in our breast milk? Perhaps it's a little bit of both. It just seems to me everything has gone to hell since people started making their lives easier. More and more people of my generation are now opting to breastfeed, whereas most in our parent's generation thought it was absurd, hippie-ish, and an inconvenience, which is why so few of them did it.

I know my mother was not initially supportive of my decision. She has since changed her mind and supports me fully. Initially she said I'd be weighed down and he'd use me as a pacifier. She said I'd be in terrible pain and bottles and formula are just more convenient. She was right, all of it, 100% correct! But does that mean it shouldn't be done? Just because it's easy doesn't make it right. Processed foods are easy and wrong on so many levels, as are fast food, artificial sweeteners, and many chemicals found in everyday cleaning products. All of this is bad for you, and many people are beginning to shy away from them.

Another thing that baffles my mind is that for about 200,000 yrs, homo sapiens have been breastfeeding, as they had no other choice. In the last 50 yrs or so, breastfeeding in the US has become almost taboo. In 50 yrs we as a society have forgotten how to breastfeed! We now must read books, join online forums, attend classes, employ 'consultants' and attend meetings to discuss the importance of, and how to, breastfeed! Have we de-evolved that much? So much that something so natural and fundamental to our survival as a species has been forgotten in the span of 50 to 100 years? What's wrong with us?

So, now I'm of the thought that breastfeeding is best and everyone should do it. LOL...cuz what I say goes. ;-) I'm like a born-again with this stuff. Everyone needs to try and commit to a minimum of six weeks. Then, set another goal, but keep them realistic. Reaching the goals are very rewarding. I just earned my "12" week badge on my breastfeeding forum...yea for me, all hail the "D"! Even through the pain of blisters and scabs and skin literally hanging off me, I've still not given up and it's been three months! Three months of painful hell. LOL...I'm in pain 24 hours a day, every day. Yeah, something's wrong, but we're still working on it because it's the best thing for him, and for me.

It's so easy at night, in bed, to just roll over on my side and feed him without getting up, making a bottle, warming a bottle...the stench of formula...plus nursing puts him back to sleep quickly.

Now that we've gotten past all the NICU induced nipple confusion, little dude WANTS to nurse. He enjoys it. His eyes, literally, roll to the back of his head once he's latched on, it's so obvious he's in heaven. Even in the NICU when he'd hardly ever nursed, he naturally 'rooted' on me...meaning even with clothes ON he leaned his head up to my breast and tried to feed, LOL...it was so cute and so funny, yet sad at the same time because nursing in the NICU was an ordeal and not something I could do daily.

It seems babies naturally will root there, on anyone, wanting comfort or food or both. This is the realization I reached recently and I stand by it. To deny them that, something that's hardwired into their little brains, just seems cruel to me. Babies were meant to be breastfed and breasts were designed to do just that. I think too many moms give up too quickly. Now I understand why they do. Also, I totally understand there are those who absolutely can not breastfeed for various reasons...I don't criticize those people.

Did you hear me when I said I have skin dangling off the ends of my nipples? Bleeding? Thrush? Burning and aching 24 hours a day? I can not wear clothes at all most of the time, which Chris loves of course....and that's just me and my discomfort.

What about when you're ready to go somewhere and lil' dude decides he's hungry and it takes us 90 minutes to nurse? Or when you're out, having to nurse in public? Or when you're cooking and you have to stop to nurse him for two hours...or even worse, you're starving but can't stop to grab a bite, because you're nursing...you have to pee...you have dogs to walk...yeah, I understand why people quit.

Another booby shot! Look at his cute head ;-)

Now him nursing for two hours is just him, that's not normal....he spends half that time sleeping anyways. I hear it's a "preemie" thing and he'll grow out of it. Remember when we started it was 13 hours straight, yes, I wanted to pull my hair out (but it's falling out anyway so never mind) ;-) Then we got it down to three hours, now two, next week, who knows....one would be nice.

At least I get to relax and watch a movie while I nurse....lots of movies. Tons of movies...The Wrestler is excellent btw... ;-)

I'm still hoping to eliminate formula all together and never use the bottles again. Every week we get closer to that goal. Every day in fact gets better and better, 'cept for the pain. :-(

Believe me, if "I" can do it, anyone can do it. I hate pain! Then again I said labor didn't really hurt so maybe my tolerance is high...;-)

Using me as a pillow.... :-)