Breastfeeding, you have a choice!
I have decided to share my experience with breastfeeding and the pressure that I believe comes with it. There is a lot of pressure by doctors, peers, media and so forth to breastfeed. Women are often told this is the best option and some times made to feel less than if they choose not to. I too believed this was the best option before experiencing motherhood. However after becoming a mommy, If I am totally transparent, I personally struggled with it because not only was it time consuming, but it was difficult. I breastfed as well as pumped so that I would be able to breastfeed and have milk for those times I needed to give Krue a bottle however I often felt like it just wasn’t enough hours in the day, to accomplish this goal. A newborn typically feeds every 2 hours, so when Krue was up I was always feeding when he was sleep I was pumping. Then I started to get low on my milk supply. I was determined to breastfeed so I tried a tea that was supposed to help, but it only helped a little so not only was I struggling with the production of my milk supply I was sleep deprived because Krue was colicky; I had reached my breaking point. Personally, I had it in my head that breastfeeding was the only and best option. Because of my challenges with this process I doubled down on my research and as a result I learned that you have to eat healthy for your milk to be really beneficial for your baby and since I didn’t have anytime to cook I wasn’t eating that great, therefore after much thought I decided that formula feeding was better for my situation. Because of this decision, I was a lot less stressed. Not only did I not have to worry about producing enough breast milk, my mom was able to help me which allowed me to get some rest! In order to still make the best choice for Krue, especially because he had colic, I research different types of formula, talked to the doctor about which one was best and landed on a sensitive formula. The talk with Krue’s doctor was helpful. She was sensitive to my circumstance, she did not pass judgement or make me feel bad, however, a previous doctor I had spoken to was a little pushy and made me feel like I was making a bad decision by transitioning to formula. She had no concern for my wellbeing!
Mommies, everyone’s experience is different and after taking all things into consideration, regardless of what others may say, please do what is best for yourself so that you can be at your best for you and your baby.
Recently, I read an article focusing on this topic / think about adoptive parents / mommies who don’t produce enough milk / those who just physically can’t breastfeed the baby | they don’t have an option! The biggest take away from the article was that the best baby is a fed baby!
Mommies, whatever decision you make, remember that it is okay and regardless of what others may say you‘re doing great! Mommies have the best instinct!
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