Why I Breastfed
Before I ever got pregnant I started thinking about what kind of mom I wanted to be. I knew one thing for sure, I did not want to breastfeed! All of the reasons not to danced through my head. It would hurt, I’d never get any sleep, and I’d never be able to leave the house because there was no way I could ever breastfeed in public. After all, I live in Florida and don’t feel comfortable wearing shorts. How would I ever be able to pop out a breast for everyone to see? Then a friend asked if I’d just think about it. Fine, Fine! I decided I could at least look into it so off I went in full research mode.
I looked up the La Leche League and found out there were classes in my area I could take to prepare as well as lactation consultants who could come after I had the baby if I had any trouble breastfeeding. When I got to the American Academy of Pediatrics I discovered they recommend mothers breastfeed exclusively for the first six months and supplement with food for the rest of the first year. Well that scared me! Didn’t babies have teeth before they were a year old? Then I read the World Health Organization recommends the same for the first six months but then encourages mothers to breastfeed for two years and suddenly one year wasn’t so bad. I also found out that breastfeeding for any amount of time was better than none.
Then another friend recommended So That’s What They’re For by Janet Tamaro and I was finally converted. She broke everything down in a funny, straight forward, non scary way that allowed me to put all of my research into perspective. Here are a few of the breastfeeding benefits for my baby that helped me make my decision to breastfeed.
• Breast milk has all the nutrients a baby needs and many that can’t be reproduced in a formula
• It is easier for the baby to digest
• Increased immunity
There are also benefits for me that come from breastfeeding!
• Nursing burns extra calories making it easier to lose weight
• Lowers the risk of breast cancer
• Lowers the risk of ovarian cancers
Looking back I can hardly believe I ever considered not breastfeeding and I’m so happy that I’ve been able to breastfeed. I love not having to fix a bottle when I’ve only had two hours of sleep. I love the way my baby snuggles in while he’s nursing. I love everything about it!
Here are a few websites to help you in your quest for more breastfeeding information.
www.llli.org
www.aap.org
www.who.int
Have you been trying to decide if you want to breastfeed or are you breastfeeding now? I’d love to hear about your experiences or answer any questions you’ve been wondering about!
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I think that breastfed is good for a baby and there are some negative point of view from the society. They think that breastfed on public is a obscene and i don’t think so.
Hi Cindy,
It was funny to read your story, because mine is very similar. It is a good friend of mine who was crazy about breastfeeding that got me into it, with the book by Jack Newman, The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers. She offered it ot me as a present and its reading, combined with a La Leche League meeting and a breastfeeding seminar at the hospital, changed the way I looked at breastfeeding (well, the truth is I did not think about it so much before that…). My life has really changed in the past year and a half.
Helping other mothers feeling good about breastfeeding in public is now what I do full time with Momzelle (we design breastfeeding apparel: http://www.momzelle.com), and breastfeeding advocacy is becoming an important part of my life too (I was meeting with my MP this morning so that International code for the marketing of breastmilk substitutes becomes a part of the Canadian domestic legislation and not only a pretty thing that we say we believe in but do not follow…).
Thanks so much for sharing your story !
Christine