Ok, so when I was growing up, I never knew there was such a thing as breastfeeding. Yep, I'm from the generation of disposable EVERYTHING. Our parents were apparently dumb enough to believe that anything you could make in a lab must be better for you than nature, right? Riiiiiiiiiiight. And every doll I ever had came with a fake bottle with that weird liquid that disappears thing goin' on. You know exactly what I'm talking about, because I know you had 'em too! So how on earth did I grow up (I did, right?) to become one of the world's biggest breastfeeding supporters? I dunno. But seriously folks, in case you were living under a rock and haven't figured it out yet... Boob is better! I've had so many moms tell me "Oh I tried, but I couldn't, I didn't make enough milk". Seriously???? Why on earth (here's the geek biologist coming out in me) do you think there are close to 7 BILLION people on the planet [side note, check out this video, I love it] if this was a common condition? Think about it. Everyone makes enough milk. Okay, so you think there is something wrong because your baby is hungry every hour or so? No... that's just how it is when babies are little. Small tummies = eats often. Plus babies LIKE being that close to you and having something yummy at the same time. They will ask for it every chance they get.
Alright, next up... "It hurt too much, I couldn't do it." Seriously? You gave birth but think you can't manage a little pain in the 'girls'? Ok, it can be a lot of pain, and I know, my son was a freakin shark!! But the good news is that it doesn't have to hurt like that. The reason it hurts is if you and/or the baby is not quite doing it right. See, back in the day, we had moms, aunts, grandmas, etc. who breastfed and passed on this info to the upcoming generations. Now, not so much. We were all fed from bottles and so were most of our parents. There's a huge break in the passing-down-knowledge system. So the alternative is a) find a friend who successfully breastfed her milk monster(s) to help you figure out the problem, or b) go see a nurse lactation consultant. I went with option B because I don't really have a whole lot of girl friends so.. there ya go. The lactation specialist (so-called) that was at the hospital where I gave birth was absolutely no frigging help whatsoever, but thankfully, my OB/GYN had recommended the angel of a lady who helped us. We ever after called her the boob-nazi but with all the love in our hearts, because she made the pain stop and I was able to heal and continue nursing my son for about 9 months.
Ok, my last beef- What the fuck is wrong with people that they think it's okay to see boobs everywhere in ads, on TV, movies, etc. but cannot handle seeing a woman nurse her baby? SERIOUSLY?!?!?! WTF? Seeing sex everywhere is okay, but people BFing need to cover up?? I saw a great post about this on Cafemom... wish I could find it again. I sincerely wish that every nursing woman I know would go out and breastfeed her baby everywhere in public, so people could get over themselves. I want to see mothers BFing on TV and in movies. Why not? We have all this so-called-Reality crap on TV? How about a little flippin reality? Is that too novel a concept? Am I some kind of radical freak? Why should we have to hide to feed our kids? Puh-leez. I give it the good ol' burpy cloth over the shoulder treatment, it's the best I can do. I'm not going to suffocate my baby under one of those "hide-me-I'm-breastfeeding" covers. I live in Miami, it ain't gonna happen. Anyone who suggests it to me is going to get my nursing cover wrapped around their head while THEY eat to see how they like it. Mmmmmhmmmm.
I just think it's ridiculous that the majority of moms go home and attempt to BF but end up giving it up because of X, Y, or Z. We seriously need better education of new moms. Imagine the reduced waiting time at the pediatrician if all moms were able to successfully BF as long as they wanted to. hee hee :)
--stepping off soapbox, at least for now (hey, it's MY blog)---
Giving Diapers, Giving Hope
5 years ago
Here's an article which basically expresses the same ideas, but somewhat more scientifically. http://www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/3/1/11
ReplyDeleteWish our hospital did this!!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.examiner.com/x-608-Early-Childhood-Parenting-Examiner~y2009m8d10-More-than-200-hospitals-across-the-US-to-give-out-free-breastfeeding-discharge-bags
I think it's absurd that a hospital would discharge a woman before her milk came in. Deplorable practice, that.
ReplyDeleteHi, thank you for your comment on my blog -- and look at that, you are posting my badge on your blog, how cool! I love this post, love your outspokenness. As you know, I also advocate (extended) breastfeeding and wish more women would give it more than a little try and stick with it, for their baby's health and their own. We DO need more education!!
ReplyDeleteKeep on writing! Love your About Me :)
Dagmar
Dagmar's momsense http://DagmarBleasdale.com
I went to a mom's group and everyone still covered up! And we were all mothers! Not me. And I told them that I didn't cover up anywhere just because I didn't think I should have to. Women show more skin in a bathing suit then I do while breastfeeding.
ReplyDelete@Melissa- Seriously? At a frigging Mom's group? hahaha. It's funny how prudish people can be about feeding a baby, but not about what you see every day on tv or even worse - fashion magazine ads!!
ReplyDelete@Dagmar- I loved your blog. Great story and I love your spirit. :)
I'm a little late hopping over here from Mommy Wants Vodka, but I hope you're still checking comments for this post.
ReplyDelete1) If I shouldn't have to hide to feed my toddler Cheerios, I shouldn't have to hide to feed my infant their food. There is no debate in my mind. As long as I'm not all, *flops out boob, pulls baby from carseat/sling/what have you, spends five minutes getting around to the feeding* I'm all good.
My MIL actually asked me with my first if I wanted to go in another room to BF. Why? Y'all are family, honey. If I'm not gonna hide from strangers, I sure as shit ain't gonna hide from you! I don't mind explaining to my young BIL or my young nieces what's going on. It's natural. They should learn that now, before they get indoctrinated into the "it's weeeeeeird" crap.
2) With my oldest, I had a bitch of a time BFing. My hospital lac consult was a total waste of time, and it took me weeks to BF her correctly. As a result, I had to work three times as hard to get half as much as my child needed. We limped along for a couple of months, but my child was constantly hungry. So we did half breastfeeding, half formula feeding. It isn't perfect, but it IS a better choice than saying "screw it, we'll just use formula." I refused to give up my baby's best source of nutrition just because it was "hard." I actually cried when I realized I'd have to supplement. But damned if I didn't go until she was 8 months old.
Then she started biting. And that, as they say, was that. OUCH! LOL
The moral of the story? No matter how hard it is, however much you can BF, do it. Even a little is better than nothing, even if you have to pump it out and feed it to them in a bottle. Incidentally? I successfully BF'd my second child for 2 years, exclusively. No formula. Don't assume you just can't do it. Try, try, try again.