Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Is being a breastfeeding fanatic a bad thing?

I posted this video because I found it to be interesting. The women are all very opinionated which I believe is in no way a bad thing. However, I do think being tactful in expressing your opinions is important.
Before I go on...Did you watch the video?



I too have had times in which I felt the need to justify myself to others concerning my decisions with Shelby and similar to the women in the video I do not like doing so. I made the decisions I did for a reason. I greatly appreciate people's input when I ask for it if the advice is delivered in a loving manner and if I know the person wants nothing but the best for myself and my baby. What I don't appreciate are the random people in the supermarket telling me how skinny Shelby is! These people don't know me or my baby. So keep your mouth shut! I realize it is not done in a malicious way but it still has the same affect. I begin to doubt myself wondering if I am feeding Shelby enough, am I producing enough milk, is she gaining enough weight, should I take her to the doctor? I don't like being insecure!

I have breastfed Shelby from the very beginning and fortunately have had no problems. Do I wish at times that I could hand Jason a bottle and take a break...YES! But I feel that research has proven that breast milk is better for your baby. Now, let me just say that I am aware of the large number of mothers that have all kinds of problems when it come to breastfeeding. It can be very painful and frustrating. I myself have not always produced enough milk. Therefore, I have made it a priority to drink 8 - 10 cups of water a day but for some women water consumption is not the main factor.
Women need to learn to support each other and not tear each other down. Every mom will make decisions about their children based on their families needs...no one else is qualified to make her decisions.

If a woman has to use formula due to circumstances beyond her control...so be it. If a woman needs to supplement with formula due to circumstances beyond her control...so be it!
Breastfeeding is what I have chosen due to the fact I believe it provides my child with optimal nutrition for her to grow and her brain to develop. I feel that breastfeeding should always be the first option for any mother and if for medical reasons she cannot continue then she should NOT feel guilty in any way or allow herself to be judged. However, I also feel that it's not right for a mother to simply never make the effort to breastfeed due to selfish reasons. My sister has jokingly said that she will never breastfeed due to the toll it takes on your "milk sacks"! When it comes time for her to make the decision I have no doubt that she will change her mind.

I hope to never judge another mother on the way she has chosen to raise her children, however I am human and am simply trying my best to live the way God has commanded. If I slip and am critical...well, I just hope I realize it and apologize.

2 comments:

  1. I'm loving your blog, Nicole! Shelby is just beautiful and don't feel bad about not having started on her baby book - there are a lot of firsts still to come, so just keep good notes, take lots of pictures, and file it all away in a big box until you have time to work on it. I speak from experience; I just recently finished my daughter, Sophia's baby book (actually, books, four of them since I had saved EVERYTHING and taken so many pictures) and she is 15 now!

    A few comments on your posts: Of course, we use our own saliva to clean our children's faces, it's called Mommy Spit and should be bottled! (Ugh, that's gross!) We went to Dave Ramsey's FPU although I'm ashamed to say we dropped out after a couple of weeks - I still have the book and should dig it out. LOVED the pre and post-baby car tunes, and lastly, I love hot/salty McDonald's fries with a passion!

    So glad to have found you!

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  2. Pamela, what a sweet comment! I feel the love. :)I loved reading it. AS for the baby book, I do try to get all her milestones "chronicled" on my blog. There are some really neat sites now that actually take your blog and create a book. I want to some day do that and give it to my daughter. After all SO much of my blog is about her. I think one of the sites is Story Book Creator or something like that.

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I love reading your comments! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.