*I Made the Choices that were Right for Me and my Family at the Time!*
Mar 27 '00
This was originally posted under a book. I didn't quite "get" epinions at the time. Now I have a better understanding of it, so I am reposting this under its proper category. Thank you for your patience with me.
How you feed your baby is a very personal decision. It should be thought out and planned for. It would help if everyone in your family agreed and supported which idea is chosen but sometimes this isn't always the case. Whatever choice you make, you should consider the needs of the baby and the needs of all involved. Both Bottle-feeding and Breast-feeding have their good points and not so good points. The best way to chose, is what feels comfortable and natural to you. And of course, what is best for baby. I am here to give my opinions of breast-feeding. It is not for everyone for many different reasons. I was one of these women who felt it wasn't for her. I was so wrong.
When my first son was born, I was pretty young and very inexperienced. I had dealt with babies before but never was I so responsible for a human life as I was for my own son. I had to make many decisions on his well being, and as much as I truly wanted this baby; I was so lost. I chose to bottle feed him. I am/was very shy about my body and I didn't want to feel inadequate more than I was already feeling. At this point in my life, I didn't know anyone in my family nor did I have any friends that breast fed their babies. AND I lived away from my family. It was just me, my husband, and my son. My son suffered from Colic, milk allergies, was very inconsolable. Bottle-feeding was something I didn't have to guess at. It took some time to find the right formula, but I knew how much he was getting, and I knew nothing I ate or did such as exercise would change the quality of the formula he was getting. As long as his bottles were cleaned, sterilized, and warmed, I felt safe in a way.
When my second son was born, there was no way I could nurse so the decision was not even mine to be made. I developed Bells Palsy and Sciatica and I was taking Steroids and Indocin. No nursing for him and the doctor made it very clear. It was a month before I was off steroids and 6 months before I could stop the Indocin. Now this little boy could eat. Several 9-ounce bottles would be consumed throughout the day. I was constantly cleaning bottles, filling them and the formula cost just so much money. We were constantly running out and buying more formula, more bottles, and nipples. Yikes!
Now, as I have mentioned in my profile. We are a military family. We move constantly, and when my second son was two, we got orders to Portugal. Lajes Field, Azores. We lived here about 3-4 months and decided we wanted another child. Well, I got pregnant and during the nine months I waited for our third son to be born, I thought and thought of how I would feed him. I really wanted to try breast-feeding, as I knew that this would probably be the last child we were going to have. I had a lot of support from friends I had met and my husband was very supportive of this idea. I got several pamphlets and talked to nurses and I got more and more sure of my idea. There are a few things that put us in this direction in the first place. One, we lived on an island. This island was known for delayed shipments of certain things-Formula being one of them. (The winds would prevent the planes from landing on our Small Island). Two, it was just that, an Island and the only place we had to shop was the commissary. It would make it hard to find formula if we ran out. And three, Sometimes there were water shortages and we just didn't want a hungry baby! So, the decision was made. We would Breast feed:)
Well, my son was born and placed right at the breast immediately. Boy, he was a pro and when the nurse went to change sides, he put up a commotion. The hospital was great about giving me tips, letting me nurse often, and not interfering. When I was sent home, I used all these tips and things went pretty well. Within 3 days though, my son showed signs of jaundice. It was winter and Sun was hard to find, so they hospitalized him for a day. I was unable to nurse so pumped milk while my husband stayed with him and I stayed home with my other two little ones. When he came home, I resumed nursing and I have to tell you. I was in so much pain. I was raw, hungry all the time, and there were a few times I just felt I couldn't do it. He would go through growth spurts and would eat and eat and eat. But I did make it. With the support and help from my husband and friends (several nursed their babies) I definitely made it. I found changing positions in the way I fed him helped a lot. I learned the football hold and this became my favorite. I nursed him until he was 6 months, and the only reason I stopped. He wanted to crawl and nurse at the same time, and I just couldn't please him this way. LOL.
While nursing him, I found all the wonderful benefits of it. He got the colostrum he needed, and we bonded in a way I didn't get to bond with my first two sons. It is hard to explain, it just happened. No more bottles to clean up, no worry about clean water, no running out of formula, and he never went hungry. He would nurse until he was full. No more getting up in the middle of the night to heat a bottle for those nighttime feedings. My milk was the right temperature at all times. Never had to worry if he was going to get burnt. No expenses meant more money to spend at the movies, or bowling, or anything else where we could spend family time. The super hungry feeling did go away eventually. It was my body saying, hey; I'm making milk, feed me! I felt great right away. Something I didn't have with the first two. I didn't have to worry about going out and him getting hungry, or overeating. We could go to the park and if he started getting hungry, I could feed him right there without any preparations. I just used a blanket to cover us up, and believe it or not. He still sleeps with a cousin of this blanket and he is now six! (Went through five of this blanket-thank goodness they didn't stop making it!)
I did find it hard sometimes. I would be grocery shopping and hear a baby cry and boom, LET DOWN. You definitely need a good supportive bra and nursing pads. It can get to be very messy. And then there are the days that baby misses a feeding and you get engorged. Not a wonderful feeling, but you can pump a bit or express some milk to get rid of this discomfort. I found warm towels and ice to help also. Don't forget the warm showers. Very relaxing and help with the pain. If your husband is feeling left out, you can also pump a bottle for him to feed the baby. This way he can be part of the feeding also. This comes in handy for baby-sitters also. You can just store your milk and when needed they can thaw it out and feed the baby.
All in all, Breast-feeding was a good experience for me. If I ever did have another child, I would definitely nurse. I have gotten surer of myself, and have had a great experience. Like I said, it isn't for everyone, but now I do regret not nursing my first son. I wonder if I had nursed, would he have had the colic, and I know he wouldn't have been allergic to my milk. But I can think all this now and not worry too much. My son has turned into a great 11-year-old who is happy and healthy. Whatever your choice is. It should be YOUR choice. One YOU feel comfortable with. Without the support of my friends and husband, I may not have been able to do it!
Go with what your heart says-You can't go wrong that way:)
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
angelsbear
|
|
Member: Tammy
Location: Upstate NY
Reviews written: 98
Trusted by: 112 members
About Me:
I am a Mom to 4 boys, ages 20, 18, 15 and 4.
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.