Capri was breastfed until she was a little over 3 months old but she wouldn’t latch on without a nipple shield. It was seriously such a pain in the butt to make sure I always had that shield around, not to mention making sure it was constantly cleaned. I went back to work outside of the home after I had her, so it was a lot easier to just provide formula for her rather than pump at work. But Cam was different! He latched on right away because he essentially needed to. He wasn’t handling the formula well in the NICU so I just let him try to latch on (even though I had been told a lot of preemies have issues with this). He ate 2mL from me, which was a BIG deal, and from that day on, he’s been a boob man.
The choice is easy when it comes to deciding what you are going to do for your baby: just FEED him. I am PRO feeding babies. I don’t really care if you breastfeed or formula feed, so long as you FEED your baby. Formula has come a really long way since it was first developed (hasn’t everything?) but really, you are able to feed your baby everything he needs through something you can purchase. It is great for those who have trouble with breastfeeding, or like me with Capri and now Cam, I was just ready to be done. Breast milk is FREE which we all love, but it does put a lot of pressure on the mother. I had to eat and drink a lot more to keep my supply up, and I really stressed when I did have to leave Cam because I would fill up and would need to either leave to get to Cam to feed him or pump, which was again, a pain in the butt. Pumping in pubic is NOT easy.
You have so many choices to make as a parent, but please don’t let feeding your baby be a hard decision. If you are able and happy breastfeeding your child, then more power to you. And if you are happy formula feeding your child, then more power to you! And remember, you are doing a great job whether you are breastfeeding or formula feeding. If your baby is happy, then you should be happy with yourself.
Wonderful post. It can be so difficult in the moment when having to decide, but reading posts like this helps remind me that it doesn't have to be a hard decision - and it is OKAY either way. My second baby is on the way, and I had a very difficult time trying to breastfeed my first. After 5 weeks of just FIGHITNG trying to make it work, I stopped and fully switched to formula. Best decision I ever made...yet in the moment it was also so difficult. This time I am preparing myself to be okay with either way. It is not worth the stress or worry I otherwise put on myself! Keeping this post for when second baby is born to remind myself of being okay with either way. Thank you for the encouragement!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad that you switched to something that worked better for you with your first baby. I hope that maybe breastfeeding is easier for baby #2 if that's what you choose to do, or that formula feeding goes well too! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHey Christine,
ReplyDeleteI don;t have kids, but I can only imagine what must go into simply wanting to feed your child without getting stared at, advised (unsolicited at that) or simply doing so without worrying about being away from your baby longer than a couple of hours.
I'm not one to give suggestions on this topic, but I would figure it's your child, your body and you know what's best. Your instincts won't lie.
Hi there! Even though you don't have kids, you have hit the nail on the head with your point about "it's your child, your body and you know what's best." Soooo many people forget this and just freely spew their opinions on what THEY think the MOTHER should do. Mother knows best! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI completely agree. I am Pro-feeding too. Even though it has it's benefits, I think moms are put under way too much pressure to breastfeed. If you can do it, great. If you can't, that's OK too.
ReplyDeleteWoop woop for PRO-feeding! Maybe I should've called this just FEED THE BABIES! :)
DeleteYes, just feed your baby. :) Loved this post. I nursed a total of 6 1/2 years... this is 4 babies total. I nursed my first 3 for 1 1/2 years each and my last 2 years. I love, love, love nursing. However, I have friends who are very close to me and think nursing is a chore. They do not nurse their babies. That is totally ok. I'm with you just feed your baby. Don't give your self a hard time if you do nurse or don't nurse your baby. Just enjoy your baby. That's what's important.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I am super impressed with your nursing history! Go you! Honestly, nursing is SO much easier than making a bottle but like I said, I just want my body back and I want him to not have to rely on my 100%, since I don't enjoy pumping (and actually as of last night when I pumped I didn't even get that much!) Thanks for visiting!
DeleteHi Christine :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! Breastfeeding was the "only" option I knew I wanted to do right from the beginning with my 2 kids (who are now 20 and 25) I had read that it was so much healthier for the baby if you could and so I did :)
Thanks for sharing!!
I have also read that it is healthier for the baby (and also has so many benefits for the mom too). Go you for feeding your baby the way that you wanted :)
DeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids and really had no idea about this topic before reading your post. I am glad that now you don't have to worry about breastfeeding anymore.
Thank you for your support! Sometimes just supporting what another mom thinks is best for her child is best.
DeleteI'm so with you on this! I mostly breastfeed my daughter, but it was nice to have formula to fall back on, and we used it to supplement my breastmilk for a couple months when her weight gain slowed down. It took the pressure off me when I couldn't pump enough on the days she had childcare. As long as you are feeding your baby, whether it's breastmilk, formula, or some combination of the two, that's all that should really matter!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that you didn't stress yourself out over feeding your baby and that you allowed formula to help you and your daughter when you both needed it the most. Keep up the great work!
DeleteGreat post Christine. I didn't breastfeed my kids and they turned out okay. It just wasn't for me. I agree with Shann in that moms put too much pressure on themselves with it comes to nursing.
ReplyDeleteI think as long as the baby is healthy, either option is best.
Thanks for sharing!
Cori
I am all for formula feeding from the start too. It honestly does not matter to me how you feed your baby, so long as you FEED your baby! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI agree. Feeding your baby is the most important thing, not WHAT you feed your baby. I'm glad to hear you're happy with your choice!
ReplyDeleteThank you!! The support is fabulous!
DeleteI was one who never did breastfeed either one of my children. I knew the benefits, for me it was just easier for me and my husband to share in the feeding.
ReplyDeleteGO YOU! Like I said before, formula has come a long way so your children received everything they needed, plus more! Keep up the great work!
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