Opinions on breastfeeding?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Nykie on July 24, 2009 at 7:53pm

I agree with your blog.

I do believe though that quite a few woman don't give it a good enough try and I do find it sad. I think breast feeding your infant is a beautiful thing. It sounds like you certainly did give it your 100%!! I can relate to what you went through! I had ten weeks of tube feeding and electric pumps with Miah before boobies were all go. And with Andrew I had 4 weeks of electric pumps and two weeks of NG Tubes... Andrew I fed for 10 months and Miah for 14 months. I didnt want to give it up after all that! and also in the hope that miah might gain an extra IQ point I went a little longer! :)

I want another baby and I would actually go through that hell again in heartbeat cause that's what us mummies do.
But I hope I dont.


I believe that whatever makes the mamma happy and a subsequent better mamma... the mamma should bloody well do!

Nyk

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kim Lancaster on July 24, 2009 at 9:52pm

Was completely in the same boat as you, except my little fellow NEVER took the breast. I ended up putting a teat over the nipple so he would feed (as suggested by a wonderful lady). I blame the hospital for this as they took him off me and gave him a bottle, without my permission, and he never took the breast after that. But at the end of the day it really didn't matter in the slightest. He is a wonderful toddler, very healthy, kind, funny - basically everything i ever wanted in a child - and the breast feeding battle has not hurt our relationship in the slightest. I tried everything, too. I took classes, I had 'experts' visit to try and help, and I went to Plunket. He just wouldn't take the breast. Really, how long should we endure this, before deciding on different options.

And for the record I also topped up with formula. I never seemed to have enough milk, so it was the only way.

I am pregnant at the moment, and next time things will be different. Not necessarily the feeding, but my attitude towards it. I am not going to feel guilty about my abilities, or lack of. If it happens, then great, and if not, then c'est le vie. I will have done my best.

And to the pro breast feeding brigade - you are not wrong in saying that breast is best, blah, blah, blah, but for a lot of us out there is doesn't happen the way we would choose. A little sensitivity would go a long way, especially to new mums. Things are tough enough without the frowns and disapproval regarding how we feed our babies.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kiri on July 28, 2009 at 3:46pm

Wow Nykie that's amazing you managed to feed after all that. Good for you!

Nykie said:

I agree with your blog.

I do believe though that quite a few woman don't give it a good enough try and I do find it sad. I think breast feeding your infant is a beautiful thing. It sounds like you certainly did give it your 100%!! I can relate to what you went through! I had ten weeks of tube feeding and electric pumps with Miah before boobies were all go. And with Andrew I had 4 weeks of electric pumps and two weeks of NG Tubes... Andrew I fed for 10 months and Miah for 14 months. I didnt want to give it up after all that! and also in the hope that miah might gain an extra IQ point I went a little longer! :)

I want another baby and I would actually go through that hell again in heartbeat cause that's what us mummies do.
But I hope I dont.


I believe that whatever makes the mamma happy and a subsequent better mamma... the mamma should bloody well do!

Nyk

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by miss leslieanne on July 30, 2009 at 5:55am

Thanks for your replies everyone - nice to know I'm not the only person who thinks formula is a dirty word!

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Tania - Kiwi Kids With Allergies on August 6, 2009 at 6:33pm

I had huge issues with breastfeeding, mainly because my children were all prem so they had to stay at the hospital while I came home, so with each of my children I expressed every feed until they were at least 6 months.
It was funny some of the looks I would get when giving a bottle in public, I felt like saying "It is breast milk".
I sometimes think that people can judge you too easily if you are not breast feeding and they dont know the reasons etc.
If I have another child I would like to hope it could be breast feed from day one - NG tubes and electric pumps is not ideal

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Amanda on August 12, 2009 at 2:38pm

Formula isn't a dirty word for some parents its either formula or their baby starves to death, as many parents with 'failure to thrive' babies will tell you. For some mums there milk never comes in... this happened to my grandma when she ahd my mum and for her it wasn't as simple as reaching for a tin she actually had to make it all up from scratch.
In my own personal case I tried breastfeeding with my first two children but both were on the bottle by 4 weeks old, differing reasons forboth and my third child was only bottlefeed. For my first baby he was not only a hungry baby but had jaundice that just wouldn't budge. For the first 4 weeks of his life he was a very yellow baby and while we got to take him home 10 days after he was born, the constant worry was that he would need to go back to NICU. For him bottle feeding was just about him being hungry, but it turned out that it was my milk that was making him sick and once on the bottle his jaundice cleared up real fast! With my second child she also ended up in NICU for different reasons, but she had a very poor suck, and I tried to do the whole expressing thing but it just wasn't me and it was very hard to express, keep an eye on a child with disabilities and could possible have seizures, plus keep an eye a very active 2.5yr old (later diagnosed with ASD). With my third it was a no brainer.... bottle was the only way to go to ensure that she was getting enough, as by this stage the child with disabilties and required a lot of supervision/assistance. Kudos too those who can breastfeed but don't judge those who don't.... It is their decision not yours

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Heather Goode on August 12, 2009 at 5:42pm

I loved breastfeeding 1000% more than I thought I would. It was fairly rocky to begin with (milk didn't come in for 5 days which I understand can be normal for a c-section) but perservered. I also topped up for a while but gave up on that after a few weeks as breastfeeding was easier. When my son was diagnosed with a dairy allergy I ended up breastfeeding for longer than I'd imagined (till 19 months).
I am interested in the issue though and find it fascinating the different percentages of women breastfeeding in different countries. I mean, we must be all fairly similar physiologically so why the big differences. NZ is reasonably high I think. This isn't to judge anyone who couldn't. I gave up in the end due to needing to take medication and I'm sure this is a fairly common reason and could happen at any age.
We mothers are pretty tough on ourselves and set up such an ideal that is hard to measure up against. This is one of the first "failures" we beat ourselves up on. The first of many I suspect. Oh yeah, c-section is an earlier one and needing help with fertility another. Sorry I'm rambling now.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jenny on August 15, 2009 at 8:38am

I found breastfeeding really really difficult, cracked and bleeding nipples, very engorged and hot boobs etc, my midwife told me i had flat/inverted nipples and it might be painful but nothing had prepared me for how awful it would be and that just latching Hamish on the boob would leave me in utter screeching agony and that Hamish would bring up blood occasionally - from my bleeding nipples...yikes! I managed to feed him until he was 1 year which I am very proud of thinking about it now - funny how we just get on with things and don't give ourselves credit at the time - but I remember in Birthcare Hamish being very hungry and being given a bottle and me sitting there in hysterical tears as I 'couldn't' feed my baby - i felt like a total failure - largely due to the huge pressure put on you to BF. I am pregnant again now and although my year of BF'ing with Hamish has changed my flat nipple situation forever (!!) I will certainly know my own mind a bit more this time around and not feel the pressure and certainly will not feel like a failure if it is not possible to BF this time around. I agree - breast IS of course best - but the amount of pressure put on new mums to be able to BF is unacceptable really and I would imagine causes a lot of emotional distress - maybe a contributing factor to depression in some people? More support up front (pardon the pun) i.e before the birth would have been helpful to me also, as I was totally unprepared for having Hamish plopped on my chest seconds after giving birth and not knowing what the hell i was supposed to do.

▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by MrsSmith on August 16, 2009 at 10:02pm

I totally agree that breastfeeding is incredibly hard work emotionally and physically. I am shocked at how few mothers give it a really good go, and then only last 2-3 weeks if not 2-3 months.
I agree there are those that have real medical and circumstantial reasons why some cannot breastfeed, and then there are those that aren't prepared for how hard it is. Where are the gentle midwives who really take the time to help you prepare beforehand and help you learn how to do it when you need them?
I had a horrific first time, mastitis 9 times, cracked nipples, micro-fissures, too little milk, reflux baby that wouldn't feed or put on weight and fought me all the time, and was told by the breast surgeon and GP to quit early on. At 6 months, I took major painkillers for 2 weeks and pumped and dumped while my boobs healed, and went back to feeding until 12 months.
My second is 20 months and I am still feeding. It's been a breeze this time in comparison, although it's such hard work at the beginning.

▶ Reply to This