There has been a flurry of activity recently in Utah and nationally concerning breastfeeding. The questions and concerns brought up are quite compelling.
To breastfeed or not to breastfeed? That is the question.
Here are some interesting links to articles on the subject.
New York Times blog on breastfeeding
Article in D News on breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Mom has law on her side article
Encourage breastfeeding article
I admire the heck out of women who breastfeed until an infant is one year old. I'm very proud of my daughter Jord who is nursing her second infant and has been going strong for over 8 months. She nursed her first child until she could drink from a cup, which was about 1 year old. It takes a ton of time, a ton of patience, but I truly believe it is in the best interest of the child.
I wasn't so good at it myself. I didn't even start with daughter number one since I had to go back to work full-time six weeks after her birth. I started out with daughter number two and then had to quit when I suffered a back injury and had to take strong medication to survive. I got going with son number one, but had to quit when his colic became overwhelming and he had to drink soy formula to cope. I had the most success with son number two and kept it up for about six months until demand outdid supply. I just believe that human milk is made for human babies and that is has a lot of good stuff in it that can't be duplicated.
There are some tips and tricks that help make the process easier to deal with. Jord has figured out some and I hope she will share. One thing I know that helped her was to have a functional cover up so that she could nurse without showing all. She got a pattern from a friend and we sewed her one when I went to help her after her second child was born. It's a handy little thing that covers everything but still allows the mother to see her infant and to have her hands free. Those cool little bean shaped pillows that support the baby and mother's arm are also a great invention. I don't recall the name right now.
I think nursing mom's need to be discrete and to use some common sense when they are in public. I'm not a fan of showing all, but I also understand that sometimes there is no where to go to feed a child. That is why a good cover up comes in handy. What are your thoughts on the subject?
8 comments:
Awkward! Embarrassing, uncomfortable. Those are my thoughts. (But I do realize it's a good thing, so, you know, more power to ya). Regardless, still awkward in whatever situation.
If you drove nails into my neck, I still wouldn't do it! Good for those who can give up a year of their life for their baby. No thanks. Kid, am I awful? I know the old story about how the child will be healthier but I didn't see any evidence of that in the lives of my sister's kids or my one daughter's. There is no 'right' or 'wrong'...on that I stand my ground. Perhaps I'm the devil's spawn:)
Brody has told me that in Brazil, the women there breastfeed anywhere and everywhere (including sacrament meeting) and don't even try to cover it up! I'm glad they are coming up with things to make it easier to hide the awkward event.
It wouldn't get done if it were up to men - thank goodness it's not. It seems a good idea, though, and probably is better for the baby, so more power to the program.b
There is this sicky YouTube with this mom from England who is still breastfeeding her 8 & 10 year old daughters!!! It's awful! But pretty hilarious. I've bottle fed 5, and I would say that of course breast milk is best, because God made it. But God also inspired someone to come up with Enfamil and then improve it to now contain lipids. I have very strong feelings about the mother not being tied to the baby and the only one who can feed it. I think the father should have to lose some sleep at night after the mom just gave up 9 months to get the child here, endured labor, and gained upwards of 50 pounds! Seriously though, I would have gone insane if I couldn't have gotten some sleep. All five of mine slept through the night-10 hours-at one month old. Stacey is all about the breastfeeding, even letting her friends sons help her pump. I'm all about letting Ryan take the darlings on the week-ends while I go downstairs and sleep 10 hours straight in Rachel's bed. One more thing. Okay, two. I don't know that I buy that it makes THAT much of a difference. And, what Lindsey and I say to each other when we are talking about our friends who make us feel judged for being bottlers because of the 'health' argument...are you going to give your child oreos? ice cream? pringles? Because if you're going to fill them full of garbage once they have their first birthday, you might as well spend some of that first year being able to sleep. I also DO NOT believe that a breast fed baby is more "bonded" to it's mother than a bottle fed baby. I actually think a bottle fed baby can bond to more people. But my kids don't love me less because they got formula. There are some of those granola Le Leche League women that really try to play that card and it makes me mad and then makes it so women feel like they have to take sides and defend their choices. Which they shouldn't have to. We should be a team or overweight, stretch marked, sleep deprived commrades! Does it hurt my case if I mention that Ryan was giving my babies sips of Diet Coke before they cut there first tooth? I hope my rant (and my mom's--whose breastfeeding philosophies I obviously inherited) did not make you or sweet Jordan feel attacked or judged. To each his own, right?
Yikes. I just looked at how much space that comment took up. That's a little embarrassing.
Oh goodness, have I been behind on my blog checking lately! I guess it is all that time I spend nursing. :) I agree that nursing is a personal thing and depends a lot on the personality and ability of the mother, the baby, and the father. It has worked for me as I've been at home with my girls and they've both been great nursers (which can totally make a difference).
I personally agree that everyone should do what works best for them. For me, nursing Ellie has been a thousand times better than nursing Lauren because, like any 2nd time mom, I knew a little better what I was doing.
With L, I nursed her to sleep for an entire year, and when I wasn't available J dealt with her crying for hours at a time. With E, I started immediately doing the baby wise strategy of eat-wake-sleep, where we trained her to fall asleep on her own from the get go. That made all the difference for me in not being tied down to her when it is time for sleep and gave J a chance to help out in the sleep routine.
I would also say that with baby #2 (and possibly the influence of my mission) I have come to care less and less about when or where I nurse. I do always cover up, but am not embarrassed to be seen in public under the "hooter hider." In addition, most of my public outings with Ellie in tow are places where other moms and kids are.
Finally, for me, nursing has offered these benefits:
-it is always accessible and I never have to make any preparations to feed my baby
-it gets much easier once my baby starts solid foods and by 6 months decreases to just 4-5 times a day
-it has saved us hundreds of dollars
-it has helped me rapidly lose all of my pregnancy weight and tighten my ab muscles without a sit-up
-it gives me a great excuse to sequester myself alone in a room and not have to worry about any other mom jobs for a while and read
And no worries Jo, I didn't feel personally attacked at all.
Thanks everyone for your comments. You all make some excellent points.
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