An online lifestyle magazine for Christian women
Breastfeeding versus formula is such an emotional decision for mamas to make. There are so many benefits of breastfeeding, but it’s also a huge commitment and it doesn’t always work out for everyone. Some can’t breastfeed and some are just too overwhelmed to do it. It’s important to make the decision that’s best for you and your baby. I ended up breastfeeding my daughter Alexa , now 2, for a year and a half. I briefly touched on this in my post on the things I didn’t know about being a mother. Now, I want to share my breastfeeding journey with you. If you are making this decision, I hope my story helps you understand some of the challenges and joys that come along with breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding my daughter was truly a roller coaster. In the hospital, the only time she would latch was when the lactation consultant helped us. We couldn’t seem to get her latched without help. We decided to do formula, but at her first pediatrician appointment, when her doctor asked how we were feeding her, I started crying. I really wanted to breastfeed. So he advised us not to give her anything but the breast for a few days until she latched. Since she weighed 9 pounds, she wasn’t going to starve. After an emotional day or two of her not latching, my mom came over to help. With her assistance and a rubber nipple shield, Alexa finally latched. I was so relieved! Eventually I also was able to wean her off of the nipple shield.
Another early challenge we encountered was conflicting advice about feeding. The lactation consultant had us logging every feed, feeding every two to three hours, and waking her up from her sleep to feed her. The doctor told us she needed a minimum of six feeds a day and that we didn’t need to wake her up to feed her unless she fed less than six times. After a lot of stressing, we took the doctor’s advice. After all, it was his advice that got her to latch. Alexa was fine – she continued to grow and gain weight at every checkup. We stopped consulting with the lactation specialist, especially since she usually made us feel like we were doing everything wrong.
I went back to work after maternity leave and worked a month or two before my husband got a job that enabled me to quit. During that time, Alexa was at daycare, and I was pumping. I could not pump enough milk to keep up with her demand, even though I was hydrating and eating lactation cookies. So we supplemented with formula.
Once I left my job and started caring for Alexa full time, I realized I was producing enough to feed her all day (the pump just wasn’t getting it all). I stopped supplementing with formula, but continued to pump a few times a day so her dad could sometimes help feed her. However, the little girl that took forever to latch decided that she loved breastfeeding so much, she would refuse the bottle. She would no longer take formula or pumped milk. So I ended up breastfeeding her exclusively, which was a huge challenge.
Adding to that challenge was the fact that Alexa was both cluster and comfort feeding, especially in the afternoon. She could nurse for an hour and a half straight. Our doctor advised that I could cut her off after 20 minutes on each side. Even with that, I would feed her for 40 minutes and then 20 minutes later, she was ready for another feed.
It was exhausting. My neck was sore from all of the feeding. A friend advised that I try laying on my side in bed to feed her. This changed everything! In the afternoons when she would feed the most, I would lay in bed and just watch tv. I began to enjoy this time, and when Alexa became mobile, it was something that I really missed.
The final challenge with breastfeeding was weaning her off. She loved it so much that this became really difficult to do. For a few days, I had to let her cry it out, which was hard to do. But when she finally weaned at the age of 18 months, it was the end of an era.
A great thing that I want to mention about my breastfeeding journey was the fact that it helped me lose my pregnancy weight quickly. I started counting calories, which definitely contributed to the loss, but I was losing 4-5 pounds per week while I was feeding, as opposed to 1-2 per week when I stopped feeding. If you have gained a lot of weight in your pregnancy, choosing to breastfeed can help you shed those pounds.
Overall, breastfeeding was both beautiful and challenging. I don’t regret my decision to stick with it, but it came with some really hard moments. In the end, it became something I really enjoyed and missed when it was over. But everyone is different, and if you choose to go with formula, there is no judgment for your decision on my part. Don’t let anyone talk you into doing something you don’t want to do. Make the decision that is right for you and your family!
Lauren Magazine is an online lifestyle magazine for Christian women.
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