Breastfeeding Opinion Review

Overall 4.59 of 5 view all 32 reviews

GMRsMom
Oakland Gardens, NY

Best option, but not always possible

pro-breastfeeding, Mom of a gorgeous boy

Pros

It's convenient, It's the most natural food for baby, It's CHEAPER

Cons

Privacy issues, Some can't produce enough milk for baby

MAR

2008

Breastfeeding Opinion —

As a first-time mom, I had never doubted that I would breastfeed my children. My mom breastfed me during a time when formula was all the rage. I knew all of the benefits - bonding between mother and baby, easier for baby to digest, et cetera.

Unfortunately, things don't always work out as planned. My milk didn't come in for nearly a week after my son was born, and even then I was never able to produce enough for him to not still be hungry afterward. I tried everything to increase production - nursing longer, nursing more often, pumping after feedings to make sure they were completely empty, pumping in between feedings. It got to the point that I almost always had either a baby or a pump attached to my breast! Nothing got it to the point it needed to be at, so we had to supplement with formula.

I felt like a failure, because in the breastfeeding class we took before my son was born, the attitude was that everyone can breastfeed if they really want to and if you couldn't it was because you were just too lazy to put the effort in. After several tearful conversations with my doctor, my baby's pediatrician, and a different lactation consultant, I finally realized that this wasn't the case. After four months, I finally had to give up breastfeeding completely.

I do think that breastfeeding is the best option, not every woman is able to or wants to breastfeed for a myriad of different reasons ranging from medical to comfort. There are plenty of babies who were bottle fed that grew up to be perfectly happy and healthy.

While I would definitely recommend breastfeeding to any new mom (and intend to try again when we have more children), it's important to keep in mind that not everyone's able to or even wants to. It's a very personal choice and no one should be made to feel bad whatever they choose!

Breastfeeding Opinion is recommended by GMRsMom

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Comments about GMRsMom’s Review

Love your review!My sister had the same experience you did with breastfeeding and was made to feel like a failure. It's nice to go over the good points and get people aware that it's not as easy as Mother Nature makes it seem!

What a cool thing to review! I think it's lousy the way some people will judge a woman who can't or doesn't choose to breastfeed - it's a personal choice and, as you say, just not always possible or practical.