Readers Respond: What I Love — and Hate — About Breastfeeding
Few subjects receive quite the attention as breastfeeding. Any mom who has breastfed has stories to tell about the experience. And why not? Breastfeeding becomes one of the most prominent activities in your life if you do it. You’re liable to spend hours each day – and night – nursing. It can be all-consuming.
At its best, breastfeeding is a bonding experience. You and your baby sit cuddled together, sharing love as your provide an elemental service in feeding the baby from your own body.
And then your baby bites you. Or sticks her finger up your nose. Or cranes his neck around to see what’s going on, thus exposing your breast to an icy-blast of air conditioning in the middle of a shopping mall.
Breastfeeding can be frustrating, difficult, or outright painful. Most mothers I’ve spoken too will talk about the early weeks of nursing as a challenge. You’ll hear stories of mastitis, thrush, cracked and bleeding nipples. You’ll hear about endless nights feeding an insatiable infant, hours of contact leaving mom touched out and exhausted.
I asked readers on Facebook and Twitter to share some of their breastfeeding experiences, the good and the bad. Click through to read what real moms say!
Thrush
"With my son, I figured it would be easy, since I'd done it before and I knew what I was doing. Silly me! That was when I discovered the hell that is thrush. I had somehow been lucky enough to avoid it the first time around, but my son and I had it for months. It was horrible: the pain; the nystatin cream; the pain; the paranoia of making sure my nipples were completely dry before covering; trying to coat the baby's mouth with medicine; the pain; the diflucan; and did I mention pain? Someone I know described it as feeling like there are shards of glass in your nipples; I think that sounds about right, with a little bit of burning and itching thrown in for good measure. But we somehow made it through, and I'm proud to say that we made it to 15 months of breastfeeding together and he never had a single drop of formula." - Emily
Photo credit: photo stock
Want to read more true stories about breastfeeding? Check out Babble’s new ebook Parenting, Uncensored: Straight Talk from Real Moms on Breastfeeding and tune into Headline News TODAY 12pm EST to find out whom we’ve crowned the BEST breastfeeding writers online!
Read more from Rebekah at Mom-in-a-Million & The Broad Side. Follow Rebekah on Facebookand Twitter too!
MORE ON BABBLE
Love this post. Great job showing both sides from yesterday’s post and today’s. Love to see momma’s feeding there babies and swapping victories and struggles.
Yawn. Another article about formula vs breast milk.
Are you so insecure about this that you have to keep banging on about it?
Just do what you want without slagging off the other.
Obviously, make an *informed* choice, weighing up the risks etc but then STOP BLEATING ABOUT IT.
Lets see the things I LOVE about breast feeding
1.food on demand at exactly the right temp any time no waking up and making bottles in the early morning noon and night
2.the most delicious nutritious food made just for my baby with no crap in it
3. The way my baby reacts to milk, sighs, coos so happy she is getting the most delicious meals and snacks
4. No gross formula puke or smelly poos- just delightful perfectly happy well digested baby
5. Being able to comfort my baby through anything fear, hurt, hunger, tiredness, growth spurts, teething without pumping them full of crap or over feeding
6. Knowing I will very likely have to deal with less ( if not shortened) illness throughout her infancy and childhood
It’s hard sometimes but boy oh boy it’s rewarding. Anyone can do it- get informed and get the right support don’t let these for profits high jack your life.
Way to go on the negative side, breastfeeding is the most natural, wonderfully bonding experience a mother and child will ever have, but I fear your article, being it overly negative, will of put alot of potential breastfeeding mothers right off! But then like someone else mentioned above, your sponsored by a formula company, so what do we expect
Please do your research before posting such utter garbage for first time mothers to read. Not once have the benefits to the baby or mother been mentioned. Junk food formula that Iam sure u feed your vaccinated baby is just that processed junk. Breast milk contains antibodies to protect the baby from disease and is the only thing that should pass its lips for at least six months.
Please get your facts straight before turning more mothers off giving her baby it’s birth rite.
TERRIBLE ARTICLE………….