With the mixed feelings that motherhood already brings, feeding your child should not be a stressful experience.
There is so many views on breastfeeding vs formula, that is exhausting. However, I don’t think there should be such a conflict and like in everything in parenting life, it depends on you and your baby. There is no general rule.
We all can agree breastfeeding is the gold liquid and is definitely the best type of food you can give to your baby. That is if you feel ok with it, you are having a good experience and your baby is receiving your milk wonderfully. In my case, it was a struggle with my first kid, because he was not latching correctly, therefore he was not getting enough milk, which resulted in supplementing and I stopped nursing for good when he was 5 months. The moment I stopped fighting against the reality that my kid needed formula to gain weight and feel better, he stopped being fussy and started being the happiest baby on earth. Happy mom, happy baby. My baby, now a healthy 5 year old boy, has only been sick 3 times (nothing major to worry about). Thank God we only have to see his pediatrician once a year, for his control. Surprisingly enough many of the kids and babies I know, that have been exclusively breastfed for a year or more, have been sick a lot more than my baby who only had breastmilk for 5 months. I have discussed this with other moms and even though breastmilk for sure brings amazing nutrients and antibodies to the baby, it does not determine by itself the overall future health of your kid and unfortunately does not guarantee your baby will not get sick more or less than formula fed kids.
Of course, like everything in life, it’s easier said than done. With my second baby, I felt the need to do the “right” thing this time, to try to exclusively breastfeed him at least for six months. Even though I did much better this time, it seemed my baby was not feeling satisfied with my milk. He is a big boy (weighted 8lbs) and it seems he needed more than what I was giving. I accepted the fact that the only real way to produce more milk is to feed him on demand, this means breastfeeding somewhere between every hour or 2 hours, but to be honest, with another kid in the house and my business, I didn’t have the time or the energy to pump and breastfeed him on demand. So after feeling sad that my plan didn’t go as I thought, I decided to supplement sooner that I wanted, after he was 1 month.
With this last experience, I came to the realization that there is so much pressure for mothers and breastfeeding, and of course I am human and it got to me as well. I thought it was worth to share that you, as a mother, should be able to decide what works better for you and your baby, depending on your health, the circumstances and your lifestyle. Feeding your baby should not be a stressful moment, you should try to make you and your baby happy and satisfied according to what works for your personally.
For now, I can tell you I feel much better after releasing all the pressure and I primarily breastfed my baby, but when I couldn't (because I was not with him or have not expressed milk) or if he simply needed more, I was ok to supplement with formula, and now my baby is happier and I am a happy mom with no regrets.
So ladies, relax and enjoy this precious moments, do what you can, but please do not stress about it. I know how stressful it can be, and is not good for anyone. By no means I am discouraging breastfeeding, do as much as you can but also know that breastfeeding little, a lot or none, does not make you a better or worse mom. We are all trying our best for the rest of our lives.
Love,
Diana
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