Day 17

I just read an interesting article about the benefits of breastfeeding. I feel the need to weigh in myself...

Before I had Lucy, I said I would never breastfeed. What I knew of nursing children I saw in public situations, mom's walking around breastfeeding while shopping for clothes or eating meals in restaurants. I'm a bit too modest to feel comfortable pulling out a breast in public just because my baby is hungry. So I felt that bottles/formula would be the only way to go.

I had conversations with my cousin about it constantly and sometimes disagreements would ensue because I was adamantly against nursing in public. She would tell me, "Just wait. When you hold that little one in your arms for the first time and realize that you can give her a gift that no one else can, you'll change your mind". I always left the conversation feeling the same way, she was wrong and no way was I going to be a breast feeding mom.

I was so naive and stubborn that I never listened to her explain the benefits of nursing a newborn. I never heard her talk about the bond you would share. I never heard her talk about the health of her then 2 year old daughter.

When I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things the Dr. asked me was if I was planning on breastfeeding. I was on the fence about it. Did I want to sacrifice my time, my body, my independence for this new life? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was already doing all of those things and more just by bringing this little life into the world. Then I learned about all the benefits to the baby as well as the mother. It felt like my decision was simple - why would I take something away from my child that no one else can give her? Why would I ever jeopardize her health and well being for my own benefit?

The first time I nursed Lucy, literally moments after she was born, we created a bond that I can't explain. My cousin was right, I couldn't imagine feeding her any other way. Not only did I give her life, I was giving her a healthy start to it.

Those first few weeks of nursing were difficult, I spent a lot of time complaining and crying about how she wouldn't latch on correctly or how sore I was. I said I was going to stop every time I nursed her for the first 5 weeks. But my wonderful husband was so supportive and asked me to try for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, if I still was having problems, he would support me if I wanted to switch her to formula.

Miraculously after 5 weeks, we figured it out. And I say "we" as in Lucy and I. We worked out a comfortable position for both of us and she finally figured out how to latch on without hurting me. I didn't even realize that I passed the 6 week mark. It was that easy.

I never was able to be the mom who fed her child in public. I always needed a bathroom or a quiet place to nurse her. We spent lots of time the in the backseat of the car nursing when I was out and about. There are loads of products out there to cover yourself and your child with, but I just didn't feel comfortable even with those products. If I knew we were going to be out for too long, I always pumped a bottle. This also allowed Jon to feel a part of the bond I shared with Lucy, which I felt was more important then anything else. I knew he wanted to share that special time with her as well.

Now there are more studies showing the benefits of nursing even as little as 6 months. It always use to be 12 months for any significant benefits to a child. I see the benefits to my little girl even today. She's extremely healthy and has yet to be put on an antibiotic for an illness. She's never been sick enough to need much more then Tylenol and a humidifier. I'm not saying that every breastfed child is as lucky, but a large portion of children are.

I find it amazing that I was able to nurse her for 13 months before we both started to tire of it. Some days I still miss that bond we shared, that ten minutes right before bed when we just cuddled. But I'm glad I decided to do it.

And for my cousin who I always argued with about breastfeeding. You were right. I'm sorry I doubted you.

For those of you who want to see the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100405/ap_on_he_me/us_med_breast_feeding_savings