Kovixen

There is a NYT article that says how much better breastfeeding is than bottle feeding. They say formula is like smoking when pregnant. Yes, that bad. It stems from some government agency or something like that pushing us into thinking we should breastfeed for at least six months so that our newborns get the antibodies they need. They think warning labels should go on formula cans. Wow

Here's my take, and this coming from someone who really hasn't had issues with breastfeeding, besides mastitis twice: they are evil, evil people for pushing such an agenda. Ok, now everyone knows that in an ideal situation, breast is best. This is pushed down everyone's throats. If you don't have kids, trust us. We all hear this. But what no one tells you is that breastfeeding isn't super intuitive or easy. The baby has no idea what it's doing and neither do you. The breastfeeding classes just push how great it is. Sure, they try to tell you how to latch on. But do they tell you how to combat the potential issues? Do they explain breast pumps at all? Do they tell you which publications are best? Hell no. Instead it was all earthy and crunchy, which works for some people but not me. I did not like my instructor because she also pushed natural childbirth (which would have led me to a c-section if I had tried it). No one told me that when my milk came in, Anderson wouldn't be able to latch on because I was too full (think trying to such a beach ball). No one told me that pumping hurt. No one told me that I'd get cracked nipples and Anderson latching on would cause so much pain I'd cry and scream. And no one said how hard it would be to work and pump (thank god I don't have to do that). Really, women are thrown into this whole breastfeeding thing head first and expected to do fine.

Now, there were well meaning nurses in the hospital who helped a bit. And the lactation consultants who didn't come to see me until I pressured my nurses to get them, and who would contradict each other. But really, besides that, I had to pay money if I was having a problem, and get a lactation consultant. They aren't cheap, and I did my best to not call one because I had already spent a billion dollars on the baby so far. Luckily I was able to deal with everything on my own. But other people aren't so lucky. They have tons of latch on problems, or they can't start breast feeding right away because their baby has an issue or is sick. Or maybe there is a problem producing enough milk. There are tons of problems that can occur. I can understand why some women give up. If you can't get breastfeeding to work after a month, do you really want to continue it? After all, you feed every hour and a half or so, imagine pumping for a half hour in there as well. Change the baby every few hours too, and you literally do not have enough time to pee.

So, my point is that breastfeeding isn't easy for some. Plenty of women are not able to do it. With their hormones raging, maybe they just can't deal with the stress anymore (and omg there is STRESS with this). What these women need is support. They have enough guilt already since guilt seems to come hand in hand with giving birth, so the last thing we should be doing is making them feel bad. But that's what the government is doing. They're making these women feel awful because of something that is usually not their choice, something that they already feel awful about. And worse, they are making it seem like they are truly hurting their children, which is just about the meanest thing I can think of.

Also, how can women be expected to breastfeed for six months or more if they are not able to stay home during that time. Working and breastfeeding is very hard. Most companies give between 6 to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Then they rarely have a place for a woman to pump at work, at least a private on that doesn't include sitting on a toilet or in front of strangers. And it's not like pumping is the same as breastfeeding, it's much harder to get the same amount of milk. Some women need to stare at a picture of their child for any milk to even come out. It's hard stuff. So how are women supposed to do this and work? Should we all just move to Canada where women are allowed a year of unpaid leave? If it wasn't so cold, I'd be tempted.

I know this post is a little rambly, but I am just so ticked off and had to express this before I go to bed. Women need to be supported as they raise their children, not made to feel like they are doing something wrong, something that raised an entire generation I might add. If you ask me, this government agency can go to hell.