Hey y’all!
Okay so as a new mama, I tried breastfeeding and I feel very torn about it. I was still having to keep up with my full time school schedule while getting the hang of motherhood. I did research and everything says it’s the best thing for your baby, so of course I’m all about it. Let me just list the positive aspects about it…
PROS:
- It’s free. All you have to worry about is the initial investment of a breastpump (Most insurance companies will give you the Medela one for free).
- You don’t have to worry about measuring formula and if the milk is too hot or cold
- Once y’all get the hang of, you just pop ’em on your boob!
- There’s an indescribable bond. Nothing melts your heart more than watching your baby take a break and just smile at you!
- It keeps them VERY regular! My son was never constipated or had an upset tummy while I was breastfeeding
- If you’re comfortable enough, you don’t have to pack any milk to go. You can just throw on a cover!
- It melts away the baby weight!!!
- And your boobs look great! Just sayin haha
Now… The cons. For me at least
- It is TIME CONSUMING! I felt like no one mentioned this when I read about breastfeeding! I had to feed Easton every 2-3 hours when he was a newborn and my breastmilk would not keep him full for long AT ALL.
- My son also started eating on average for 35-40 minutes at a time. I’m sorry, but this mama has shit to do!
- After breastfeeding for 35-40 minutes, I had to be glued to a breastpump for an additional 15 minutes. So, there goes an hour and he would be ready to eat an hour later! I felt like all I ever did was feed him.
- He also had a favorite boob. Yes babies have a preference! So my left boob stayed bigger than my right boob. At one point, I swear my left was a D and my right was a B! No lie.
- Because I was constantly feeding Easton, I felt stuck at home. Talk about CABIN FEVER! If I did go out, I felt super rushed to get back home and feed him.
- If you don’t breastfeed within the normal time frames, your boobs start hurting SO bad!
- Your boobs leak. So make sure you wear the nursing pads.
- Your nipples will hurt if you don’t use lanolin cream. I personally preferred the Medela brand over the Purple bottle one.
- If you like to have a glass or 2 of wine daily… Okay maybe 3 or 4 once in awhile lol (no need to judge!), breastfeeding cramps your style. It’s so depressing to pump and dump. It’s like all that hard work of pumping for nothing. The 9 months of sobriety lasts even longer…
I only lasted 1 full month of straight up breastfeeding without supplementing with formula. Once I gradually transitioned Easton to formula, he was so fussy and his stomach hurt all the time. I felt so bad because I felt like I was being lazy for not breastfeeding. So I tried to restore my milk but I wasn’t commited to the pump like I needed to be. He went from pooping at least 5 times a day to every 2-3 days with formula. Now his tummy has adjusted and he’s one happy baby!
Would I breastfeed again? Yes because that’s what’s best for them. I would try to stick with it longer. It’s crazy how expensive formula gets. But honestly formula is convenient for the busy mamas! I honestly have no clue how full time working moms or full time students have the time or patience to breastfeed and be glued to a pump all day.
itsnikkiyall 