Many times the book or article will gloss over it, like "if breastfeeding does not work out for you, congratulate yourself for doing it as long as you did. People tend to gloss over the facts in an effort to get you to breastfeed. Despite the large amount of research I did beforehand, I was still surprised by the loneliness, the time, and the pain. Many moms, like me, make the decision to do it because it's the best food for the baby and will create a bonding experience between us. I blame the Breast is Best campaign, and all the published books out there for not accurately painting a picture of what breastfeeding is. I can pump and still get the same nutrition into him. I have not been able to find why that milk needs to come from a boob and not a bottle. I've read about how human milk is best for the baby. I can only imagine what it's like for more social people. Still, you shouldn't be made to feel this desperate. You get pretty isolated and lonely, even with a smartphone and Facebook nearby.Įventually the need for human interaction forces you out the room and you nurse in front of family, hoping you don't accidentally flash them. That means you go into a room with a door shut for 5-7 hours a day. If you're like me, you don't feel totally comfortable nursing in front of people. Nursing, however, is about 30 minutes on each breast. You can do both breasts at the same time, hand the bottle off to someone else, and clean the parts while grandmom feeds the baby. How the fuck does this not hurt everyone? Maybe I'm super sensitive? 5 hours of vigorous sucking at your nipple. And you can also feed on the go, rather than stashing bottles in refrigerated bags. Some women believe it to be much more efficient just to lift the baby to the boob and there you go. You have to set up the machine, pump for 25 minutes, clean all the parts, feed the baby, burp the baby, rock the baby, etc. The flip side of the argument is that pumping takes too long. Let's assume each feeding takes 1 hour of nursing, plus 10 minutes burping, plus 5 minutes beforehand changing diapers and getting your nursing area prepped.you are nursing a newborn for 8-9 hours a day. Then you burp him between each breast, so tack on another 10 minutes. My baby will nurse anywhere from 25-40 minutes on each breast. A lot of women (me) complain about the time it takes to breastfeed. The breastfeeding reference books continue to paint a blissful picture of the experience. Yet the only helpful information in treating these, I've found online or through my doctor. I've had three golf ball sized clogs in the 6 weeks that my baby has been alive. Oh, and I was recovering from major abdominal surgery. On top of that, it felt like I had the flu. My right boob hurt so bad I could barely lift my arm over my head. The first week home I had a fever of 101F and was popping antibiotics three times a day. The books do make mention of clogs, mastitis, thrush, etc. The initial latch always has me grit my teeth and kick the nearest piece of furniture. My nipples are always sore and cracked and throbbing, even with generous helpings of lanolin cream. I continue to take 800mg Motrin to get through it. My latch was evaluated by 5 nurses, 2 doctors, and 1 lactation consultant. I returned the book to the library, so I don't have an exact quote, but The Everything Breastfeeding Book says that if you feel more than a gentle tugging, the latch must be wrong. There's a few things the books don't tell you. Finally putting those breasts to their useful purpose. I was picturing some instinctual mother/baby bonding experience and how cool it would be to feed my kid naturally. No really, it's not at all what I thought it would be.
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