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oh baby!
My Decision to Breastfeed
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For me, deciding to
breastfeed was easy. I was very comfortable with the idea.
My mom nursed my younger brother and every woman I ever
babysat for had breastfed as well. So I had been exposed to
it quite a bit and I think it helped me make the decision I
did.
I had this notion (I have no idea where
I got it) that breastfeeding was supposed to be this
totally natural and instinctive thing. Let me just say,
that in my case -- as well as my son’s -- this just
wasn’t true. The only reason I even mention it is that
sometimes women try to nurse in the hospital and if they
don’t "get it" right off the bat, they give up. I was
determined not to give up, but it was a struggle for a
few days. I had my "breastfeeding expert/friend" come
over to my house and help me for about a week. I didn’t
have a clue what I was doing and apparently neither did
my son. I tried all these different positions – it was
crazy. Finally we got into a groove and found what
worked best for us. There’s also that "sore nipple
thing". It is not fun, but it goes away in a few days
(at least it did for me).
Once we got the hang of what we were
doing I found that nursing was actually less of a hassle
for me. I didn’t have much of the washing bottles
(except the ones he used when I had to
pump) or getting up in the middle of the night to
heat a bottle. My milk was always there easily
accessible and always the right temperature. If I needed
to be away from my son for any length of time, I would
just pump so he would still be getting my milk.
In addition to breastfeeding being good
for Jake, it also saved us a lot of money. We were
really struggling financially and that was one less
expense to worry about. The only thing I did worry about
was what to do once I started back to work. I wasn’t
really sure if I would nurse/supplement with formula
once I went to work again. I talked to my friend about
pumping breast milk and I decided that was the best
thing for me. She came over and helped me figure out how
to use the breast pump and gave me lots of very useful
advice. I got one of the
electric breast pumps and it worked very well for
me. Luckily, work was very supportive of my decision to
nurse my baby as well. My boss even went so far as to
evacuate his office every day so I could have a private
and relaxing environment to pump. I’m really grateful
for that.
I think the most important reason for me
in deciding to breastfeed was that I wanted to
experience the bond between my baby and myself. I had
heard women talking about it and I was very curious
about the whole thing. I wanted to make sure I didn’t
miss out on anything! Sure enough, it was a very
fulfilling experience and I don’t regret it for a
minute. |
Breastfeeding, Pure and Simple
by Gwen Gotsch
Amazon.com Price: $9.95
When I was pregnant I
read a few things on breastfeeding. I thought I
knew everything there was to know and I felt prepared.
Boy, was I wrong! A friend who was very active in La
Leche League gave this book to me to help me out. I am
SO thankful I read it.
"Breastfeeding, Pure and
Simple" was by far the best book I read on the subject
of breastfeeding. First of all, I liked the way the book
was organized. The Table of Contents listed not only the
chapter titles, but each topic within that chapter. This
made it so much easier to go back and look something up
later! There was a thorough index as well to help with
certain questions you might have. The book was easy to
read and very short (108 pages of text, without credits
or index).
The information covered
in Ms. Gotsch’s book was so helpful to me. Not only did
it cover the basics like why women breastfeed and the
benefits of breastfeeding, but it also included thing
like solving problems, what life is like with a
breastfed baby, and changes in the breastfed baby as the
baby grows.
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One
of the most helpful sections for me personally was the one
about going back to work. This section was not only
informative, but supportive of whatever decision you chose
when returning to work, whether it be to wean, to supplement
or to pump. I referred to it many times after I went back to
work!
I highly recommend this
book to all moms who are even considering breastfeeding.
The information in it is excellent, helpful and easy to
follow. It isn’t long, so it doesn’t take a long time to
read.
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