Here we go... this is such a sensitive subject for both sides... for moms who breastfeed and for people who think it's inappropriate (in public). I wasn't going to write about it but heck, it's my blog. My opinion. I'm not here to bash on anyone...
I'm a breastfeeding mom. Well, I was and I will be. I'm pregnant with my 3rd son and I plan to breastfeed my baby. I breastfed my first son for 1.5 years. I breastfed my 2nd son just a little over a year (I got pregnant and the the pain from the sensitive nipples was unbearable!)
No one ever tells you that it's hard and challenging to breastfeed. Some lucky moms have no problems but most breastfeeding moms have expressed how difficult it is to commit to. In fact, a lot of moms say they give up because it was hard enough having a newborn that struggling with breastfeeding was making them insane. Hey, I say whatever works for you and your family. No one is mad at you for not breastfeeding. :)
I'm stubborn. If I set a goal, I try really hard to achieve those goals. I wanted a natural birth. I wanted to breastfeed. I did both but it wasn't an easy road....
Don't get me wrong, I was open to epidural (pain meds for labor) but my first labor was so fast, I didn't have time to change my mind! I gave in with my second labor and got the epidural after 17 hours. Of course an hour after getting it, I was already pushing.... and the meds still trying to catch up. Imagine how disappointed I was in myself. Oh well. It happened. I'm over it lol.
Back to breastfeeding.... your milk doesn't come in as soon as you have your baby. You have colostrum (thick sticky stuff). Although my son latched and things were okay, my milk just didn't come in. I saw the lactation consultant and they recommended natural ways to help such as taking Fenugreek and drinking Mother's Milk Tea. Also, pumping was supposed to help.
My son nursed fooooooreverrrrrrr it was almost an hour of nursing. 30 mins of pumping and he's ready to nurse again. But I just pumped, how is he suppose to get milk now? I don't even have any. The Lactation consultants ensured me I was doing the right thing. I saw it as counterproductive. How can he get milk if I'm pumping the very little amount that I do have out!?!?! They kept saying it was all about supply and demand. I'm tired. I'm not sleeping and all these emotions come and go in waves. On top of all this, you've got people telling you how to do things and what to do. Everyone wants to put in their 2 cents. I cried a lot. I felt like a failure. I kept pushing through and only surviving thinking about what's best for my baby.
After days, my lactation consultant (which I saw just about everyday!) said my milk should have came in. I even got prescription drugs to help from the OBGYN. I finally broke down and just gave up. Each day, I felt more and more like a failure. I started to get depressed and then at the end of the one week... I told myself "you can do this". I really wanted to breastfeed so I started again. Nurse. Pump. Nurse Pump. I've already given up for a week so that meant I'm starting all over again. Nurse. Pump. Nurse. Pump. I continued the Fenugreek and Mother's Milk Tea. I stopped the prescription drugs.
Eventually my milk started to increase. I went back to work when my son was 3 months. Work was stressful. My work tripled when I returned. Stress is bad for milk production so I would pump during work for an hour at a time relaxing and thinking only about my baby.
It took me about 5 months to get a full supply and no longer taking herbs and no longer supplementing with formula. I was happy. It was a long struggle but it was worth it.. for me.
I nursed everywhere I went. We were out and about a lot and I would nurse my son under a nursing cover. Sometimes I prefer to do it in the car and not cover because he didn't like to be covered. He liked the eye contact and connection we had while nursing.
I never just plopped my breast out for everyone to see but sometimes it was very frustrating trying to cover up and battling with him and the nursing cover. With all the distractions, it was hard for him to latch. I covered up for others. I can personally care less about hiding it.
Eventually my attitude about covering up for others became more "I don't care what others think" and just quickly latched him on and nursed without the covers. My clothing has always covered more than 95% of my breast and some people don't know this but A LOT of the nipple and breast is in the baby's mouth so no one really sees the nipple.
I don't understand why some people see such a natural thing as offensive and inappropriate. I've heard comparisons to sex. "Sex is natural, people don't do it in public" Really? I didn't know that (*rolling eyes*). Sex is an intimate thing between two people that is done in private. A baby nursing is just a baby eating. With all the junk they put in our foods today, a lot of people are choosing to going "organic".
So think of it this way... the baby is having an organic meal.
