Breastfeeding

So obviously I missed Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Sorry guys, Life is nuts.

Anyways, I was determined to breastfeed when I found out I was pregnant for the simple fact that I didn’t wanna spend $30 a can of whatever it is on formula when I can produce it for free. Luckily, I’m blessed enough to be able to breastfeed my child unlike some women whose bodies can’t or they personally/emotionally don’t get the support they need to keep up with it. Let me tell you, it’s gets rough and frustrating and if it hadn’t been for my mom pushing me to stick with it, I would’ve given up. Here’s some pros I’ve found to breastfeeding thus far (mind you my daughter is only 4 months old):

• -Cheaper: my breast pumps were provided through insurance (stay tuned for a Medela vs Spectra post) and the storage bags aren’t overly pricey
• -Helping others: so when we were in the hospital I gave consent for them to feed her with donor milk because mine took a couple days to come in. I personally have no desire to be a power pumper or donor (for the simple fact that I don’t have the time) but if you’re blessed with the gift of easy lactation, you can donate it to hospitals and help other babies.
• -Better for Baby: I’m not gonna start a big debate over this one. I’ve just always heard it’s a little more fatty and healthy for babies (no research done on my part to say either way).
• -Convenience: you don’t have to have bottles made up to take with you or hope that wherever you’re going has clean water to mix with or anything like that. Just let the baby nurse (though I’m not sure what the laws actually are about nursing in public. I think I’ve only done it twice so far and never had an issue). Also, in the middle of the night you don’t have to make up bottles so that’s pretty nice.
• -Bonding: most importantly it creates a bond with your baby. Though it is a little frustrating when it feels like your baby only wants you to eat

Now the cons I’ve ran into with breastfeeding.. note that my baby was premature so some of these won’t apply:

• -Inconvenience: having to take a pump just in case your baby isn’t hungry when you’re full or not wanting to pull your tits out in public gets frustrating.
• -Pumping: so my daughter only ate one side up til almost three months so if she got up in the middle of the night or ate while we were out I still had to pump the other side and it got really rough for a while. Plus when she was stuck in NICU in the middle of the night I’d have to get up and pump to keep my supply up. Luckily, nowadays I hardly pump at all at home. I could but I value sleep😂. Pumping at work is an adventure too and dealing with coworkers has been a treat (follow up post to come. I would love other moms stories about pumping in the work place too!!☺️)
• -Leaking: having to make sure you don’t go too long without pumping or feeding otherwise you’ll have a mess.
• -Nursing pads and bras: so obviously this prolly isn’t a necessity but they are so convenient plus I can’t always get somewhere to pump and I’m paranoid about leaking so I just wear them most of the time. 

Breastfeeding is hard. It hurts, it’s time consuming, and it’s not for everyone but at least in my case, it’s been so worth it.