Breast not best?

[DesignFox]

Not to mention the fact that some women are ill and cannot breast feed their children. I was lucky. I was born before my mother developed breast cancer.

My brother. Not as lucky. Needless to say, my mother didn't breast feed while undergoing chemotherapy, radioation treatments, and eventually, mastectomy. Oh, and she was dead by the time he was 2.

My mother preferred to breastfeed. It broke her heart not to be able to do that for my brother. It tore her to pieces knowing she likely wouldn't see his third birthday (we had his 2nd birthday party in the hospital 2 weeks before she died).

It's not fair to judge. As long as a woman is taking the best possible care of her infant, that is all I or anyone else should care about.

[jackfaire]

Next thing you know people will say the fact I wasn't breast fed is why I am gay.

[LeChatNoir]

I had my son 1/16, and before that I was pretty sure I was going to breastfeed. I figured, how hard could it be? Hard enough when it turned out that Jake doesn't like nursing from an actual breast. I was in the hospital with him for 3 days, and every time I'd try to feed him I had to have help from the nurses and even then it wasn't guaranteed we'd get him to latch on. I even had help from two different lactation consultants. The most success we had was when I used a nipple shield, but he would not nurse consistently enough to ensure he was getting adequate nutrition.

The first night home I was in tears because he was clearly hungry, but no matter what I tried (nipple shield or not) or what position I tried in, he wouldn't feed from my breast. So I gave him a bottle of formula, and he ate like a champ, then immediately settled down to sleep. The next day I broke out my breast pump, managed to get about an ounce of breastmilk, and fed him that in a bottle. He ate with no trouble at all.

So for the last 10 days he has been getting a mixture of pumped breastmilk and formula. He sleeps well, has a normal amount of dirty diapers, and appears to be putting on weight. He seems happy, and I am happy now that I am not freaking out that he isn't getting enough to eat. His pediatrician knows how I am feeding him and is okay with that.

I was never judgemental in regards to breastfeeding vs. formula feeding before having my son, but I most definitely would not judge now. You never know what someone's situation is. If it makes you feel better to look down on mothers who give formula over breast milk, whether by choice or by necessity, then more power to you. I won't feel guilty for doing what I feel is best for my son.