"Breastfeeding is like all of motherhood. Sometimes it hurts, it's wonderful, it brings tears to your eyes and you wouldn't change anything."Today I attended a 3 hour breastfeeding course at the hospital. Kyle decided not to go since he doesn't own a pair of boobies, and he figured it would be awkward.
I have always known I was going to breastfeed. There are far too many benefits to breastfeeding for me to decide not to. The class I attended was very empowering and motivating. I was met by a woman by the name of Dawn who is a major advocate for breastfeeding. She had the entire class involved on explaining why breastfeeding is so important. We learned everything from how to get the baby to latch on correctly, different positions to hold the baby while he feeds, the benefits from breast milk etc.
I learned so much from this class, that if I wasn't already on the breastfeeding boat, I would definitely be now. I learned that there are more that 100 nutrients in breast milk that can't be created or found in formula. Formula fed babies have, on average, an IQ that is 11 points lower than breast fed babies. Breast fed babies don't get constipated, they don't get ear infections, breast milk is easier to digest. They don't get sick as often because they are ingesting the mother's antibodies. Breast milk is FREE! The baby isn't swallowing air, so you shouldn't have to burp them. The mom burns an additional 500 calories a day just from breastfeeding. I could go on and on all day about the benefits of breastfeeding.
Something I found interesting that the lactation counselor said was that breastfed babies are " better looking. " She said they are generally healthier looking and their face is more developed from using their facial muscles to suck the milk out. Bottle fed babies don't have to work hard to suck from a bottle. They become lazier than breastfed babies. A bottle only has one hole that distributes milk, while a nipple has 15. I'm sure you have noticed if you hold a bottle upside down, milk will just drip out. This demonstrates how easy it is for a baby to get the milk out...hardly any work being done.
I also learned about bottles and pacifiers. She recommends not introducing a bottle of pacifier to the baby until they are at least one month old. If you introduce it too soon, it can cause nipple confusion and it makes it a lot harder to get the baby to latch onto the boob. If I baby is introduced to a bottle, they learn to be " lazy. " Therefor, when you try to latch them on the breast, they will refuse. They have now been shown that they can work half as hard, and get the same tasting milk from a bottle ( if you pumped your breasts.) So why would they want to work harder for the same thing? Same thing goes for the pacifier. Babies have an instinct to want to suck. When that instinct is met with a pacifier, they don't have the drive or need to want to latch onto a breast. This leads to a hungry, fussy and frustrated baby. I think Kyle and I have decided to not give Liam a pacifier. There doesn't seem to be many benefits to giving them. She did mention that eventually, it is important after that first month to introduce a bottle to the baby. She said she didn't with her first baby, and her baby never learned to like a bottle and would always refuse it. This meant for the entire year she breastfed, she had to have her daughter on her boob. She didn't get to experience the convenience of using a breast pump.
The nurses that worked in postpartum mentioned that the hardest thing about breastfeeding is that sometimes the baby will be lazy, or tired and not want to latch on and suck. They taught us different ways to stimulate the baby to wake him/her up and get the feeding going. You can undress the baby to wake them, and as soon as they latch on, cover them up. They won't get cold while feeding because the breasts act like a heater to the baby when you are doing skin to skin contact. Also, you can express some milk onto your breast/nipple. The baby will immediately smell the milk and will want to feed. You can give the baby a gentle massage to stimulate them to want to wake up. You could even try a cool washcloth on their skin. The most important thing when trying to get your baby to breastfeed is to put them to the boob every 15 to 20 minutes. The first 2 weeks is said to be the hardest and most awkward, but eventually, it will all come into place.
I also learned that consuming peppermint, sage, Sudafed and various other things will dry up your milk supply. Also, she mentioned that if the baby is around smokers, he is more likely to develop SIDS. She said that if someone smokes, they need to take a shower, brush their teeth and change their entire outfit if they plan on going near the baby. Washing their hands doesn't rid themselves of all the second hand smoke that is in their hair, mouth, clothes etc. Smoking is disgusting anyway, if you smoke, you shouldn't be going around babies in the first place. That is a whole other topic, I won't be opening that can of worms today.
I plan to exclusively breastfeed. That's what breasts are there for. They were not put there on our chests to be sexual objects. I am disgusted by our society and their views on breastfeeding. I can't stand when I see a woman in a parked car on a hot day breastfeeding, or sitting in the corner of a public bathroom just to avoid the gawks and stares from the public. Breastfeeding is natural and a beautiful thing. I am not saying I am going to pull my boob out in public or anything, there are classy ways to go about feeding your child. I just hate that some women make the decision not to breastfeed because they are embarrassed because of how people made them feel.
This is what I want for Liam. If that means I can't drink wine, or take an Excedrine for a headache, then so be it. This is the healthiest decision for our son, and he deserves the best.
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