Fed IS best but breast was best for me.
Growing up, I was pretty sure I wanted kids. Then I worked with kids for awhile full time and decided “eh, maybe not for me.” Then I changed my mind again and thought I wanted them but was TERRIFIED of being pregnant and giving birth. One thing I always knew for sure, though, was that if I had babies, I wanted to breastfeed them.
Breastfeeding isn’t the be all, end of all motherhood. It’s not for everyone. I have some close friends who tried and gave up fairly quickly. I have some friends who never did it at all. And then I have some who nursed like I did. All our kids are fine. All our mothering skills are fine. Fed is best. Whether you give your baby formula from day one or whip your boob out for that baby in front of anyone, it doesn’t matter!
When I met Brian, my feelings towards having kids went from wishy washy to “I love this man-let’s have babies like now.” Although he actually did want them RIGHT away (he is seven years older than me), I did make him wait until we got married.
And then we had two beautiful sons. And I got to feed them with my body. If you have never breastfed a baby, it’s crazy. You are literally keeping a human being alive with milk that comes out of your own body. It’s insane. It was hard work. And it wasn’t always fun and games. There was some pain involved and a definite learning curve. And let’s not forget about pumping, which is one of the most annoying things I ever had to do. If I was a full time stay at home mom, I don’t think I ever would have pumped or given bottles at all. Baby cries and you whip out a boob. So easy! But I worked and my kids were in daycare and so, I pumped.
(Let’s also not forget that babies get teeth and breastfed babies can bite. And that hurts. And yet, I was still happy. I had an amazing bond with my babies. I’m so happy I got to do it.)
Grayson was nursed for 13.5 months and never had a drop of formula. Bryce was nursed for 18.5 months but I had to supplement with formula around six months because my body wasn’t producing enough. And both kids are smart. One isn’t smarter because he only had breast milk. That’s absurd.
You have a baby. You need to feed it. You need to keep it alive. Fed is best.
In my experience, I’m so happy I got to breastfeed. As I get ready to say goodbye to my breasts, I can thank them for nourishing my babies. I have been monitoring my breasts/health for ten years because of BRCA and I’m just so happy I got to experience nursing my children before I say goodbye to them.
Love and boobies,
Allison
( . ) ( . )