There are 52 story posted.
Story told by Hannah
From
WA She has
1 child Her child is
4.5 months years old
I have been breastfeeding my little guy for 4 and a half months. My goal is to breastfeed until 18 months, although I may decide to give him some cow's milk after he's a year old. I work half time and have arranged my schedule so that I can come home to feed him in the middle of the day. I only had to pump and leave a bottle for the first couple weeks when he was eating more often. I feel that this was a better option for me than pumping at work (or using formula) because I'm not getting sick of coming home and seeing my baby, but I think I would be sick of pumping.
My favorite book that prepared me for breastfeeding was called "so that's what they're for" by Janet Tamano.
Story told by Amy Peterson
From
Idaho She has
4 children Her children are
4, 7, 12, 14 years old
Actually--I am submitting to contact Kate or Barbara. I am a lactation consultant (IBCLC) and mother of four children. I have co-authored a book, published by Hale Publishing, titled "Balancing Breast and Bottle: Reaching Your Breastfeeding Goals." One of our objectives in writing this book was to remove the guilt of choosing to also use a bottle or pacifier when breastfeeding. In our culture, many mothers choose to combine breast and bottle-feeding, yet how to select and use an appropriate nipple shape has never been addressed in breastfeeding literature. Our book is warm and empathetic, offers the ideal situation, and many other options to choose from so every mother can find the best combination for her family. It is a breath of fresh air. Our website also offers basic information for mothers who choose to explore all of their options. If you feel your members would benefit from this info, we'd ask you to pass it on. www.BreastandBottlefeeding.com Thanks for your time, and for supporting mothers where they are.
Amy Peterson
Story told by Tanya N.
From
Ontario, Canada She has
2 children Her children are
4 years and 4 months pregnant years old
I never really considered not breastfeeding my son. I figured, it's what babies were meant to eat, so that's what I was going to do! I had very sensitive nipples, though, so I worried about how it would feel.
My fears were calmed the moment he first latched on, about 30 minutes after he was born. It was the most amazing feeling in the world!
I dealt with engorgement, cracked and sore nipples, overactive letdown, and oversupply during the first few months nursing. But, more than anything, I loved doing it. I loved that I had one hand free while I was feeding him. I loved that I could change my plans at a moment's notice, and didn't have to worry about if I had enough formula with me. I loved that I never had to get up in the night to warm a bottle. I could just roll over and nurse him without having to leave my bed. I loved the "milk drunk" look he would get after a feed. I loved his sweet, breast milk breath. I loved his yellow, sweet-smelling poops!
My son weaned at 14.5 months, largely due to societal pressure to push solid foods and not nurse so often. I am now pregnant with my second child, and it is my hope that he/she will nurse well into early childhood, until they are TRULY ready to wean. Breastfeeding is one of the things I am looking forward to MOST about having another baby.
Story told by Dustie P.
From
North Carolina She has
3 children Her children are
9, 6, and 4 months years old
I had my first child when I was 18 years old. I was young and scared and I came from a family that didn't breastfeed. My mom thinks breastfeeding is about as normal as aliens from Mars. I didn't have many other friends with children and the ones I had didn't breastfeed either, so in my ignorance, I didn't try to breastfeed him. He had a lot of health problems including asthma and chronic ear infections so by the time I had my second child, I was convinced that I did need to try to breastfeed. I did breastfeed her, and I had a full supply of milk, but she was very colicky and I began to stress myself to death over everything I ate b/c all she would do was scream, so at 3 months, I weaned her to formula. After that I was a wholehearted proponent of breastfeeding and I had all intentions of nursing my third child for longer than the second. However, he didn't do that great with the nursing ended up vomiting blood b/c my breasts were so cracked and bleeding. So I tried to pump for a few days to let them heal and eliminate the blood, but by the time I offered the breast again, he wouldn't take it. I pumped for several weeks, but never produced very much milk, and when he finally took the breast again, my supply never recovered despite my efforts. It has been a real disappointment for me, because he loves to nurse but the milk just isn't there. The lactation people tell me that there is more milk there, but I've breastfed before and I know when they are empty and he won't nurse anymore when they are. So, I say to people, I've been on several different parts of the spectrum, and I believe that breastfeeding is best and my daughter was much healthier than my first son, but it doesn't always go as planned. I continue to give my son what little milk i make, and he enjoys it and guess that is what matters. I just hope that he has gotten some immunity over these four months despite the limited amount.
Story told by Jules
From
TX She has
2 children Her children are
4 and 2 mths years old
Thank you! This is the first website I find that openly supports the choice of women to bottle-feed or breastefeed their babies. I breastfed my first child 6 weeks because I honestly thought there was no way to keep it up while I worked. He is the healthiest child I know, moreso than his best friend who was breastfed one whole year. Now with my second child I don't have to work but I am thinking of weaning early because I want to get on the Nuvaring and do not like the mini-Pill . All I see on the internet is people trying to make you feel bad about stopping breastfeeding. I feel sorry for these poor women who tried so hard and couldn't and now feel terrible guilt. Motherhood comes with enough built-in guilt and we do not need people judging us when we are doing the best we can for our children. With this baby, I had every intention of breastfeeding up until I worked and even pumping after I worked. I exclusively breastfed at first and from day 1 my baby was fussy and gassy and had awful times when she was having a BM. I do not find breastfeeding to be relaxing and comforting and I bond better with my baby when I am not breastfeeding her. I am an active person and feeding what seems every hour was really frustrating. So I started supplementing one bottle a day and it seemed my baby was more gassy with the breastmilk than formula. I have given her more formula a day to see if it was true and she has less gas and better BM. I feel confident that this is the best choice (to switch to formula) except for the guilt that everyone makes you think like you are less than "best" mom. I know breastmilk is best but it seems like everyone on the breastmilk only side wants to guilt us all into doing it, even if we hate it, only producing frustrated, resentful, stressed out moms. My baby will be happier not struggling to pass gas, too. Thank you for standing up for the women who choose not to breastfeed and for the women that do. That is all we really want, to feel support from other mothers, not guilt or shame whichever we way choose. My stance- try breastfeeding because it is best, but do not knock yourself it does not work out and just be the best mom you can be to your baby!
