Breastfeeding is such a tough topic—always has been and I am pretty sure always will be.
Let me start out by saying I give huge congrats to all the mothers out there who are able to breastfeed, want to breastfeed, like to do it, or feel the need to. I always wanted to breastfeed from the time I knew I was having my little girl. It was definitely something that I wasn’t too keen on before I was pregnant; however I was willing to give it my all.
Once my daughter came into my life, I couldn’t think of anything but to do the best I could for her, and one of those things was to breastfeed, of course. But the universe had other plans for me. I was running on empty.
No matter what I did, what I ate or what supplements I took, nothing seemed to help. In fact the stress that came with the “need” and desire to breastfeed made the matters worse. At the very most I was able to produce 3 ounces for the day. Any mother out there knows that is nothing—especially since my baby was eating 4 to 6 ounces per feeding, every two to three hours.
The topic of breastfeeding became the only topic in the house, besides the fact that the breast pump machine was on at all times of the day frantically trying to produce more milk. At the end of it all, and weeks and weeks of trying, tears and pure exhaustion, the pump took the high shelf in my cupboard. I ended up mixing formula with whatever milk I was able to produce.
I realized that all this time I’ve been obsessing about something that in the end really does not matter. A mother doesn’t love their baby more or less if they breastfeed or formula feed or both. It’s all the same at the end of the day.
A mother who cares for their baby and feeds them, loves them is the greatest thing you can do for them.
So I would like to end this post by saying that women should be a little more sensitive to one another and more thoughtful when it comes to topics likes breastfeeding and formula feeding. Every woman is different and every woman is fighting her own battle. (Especially if this is your first rodeo and you have no idea what you are doing!)
If you have questions regarding how to successfully switch your baby to formula because of personal reasons, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would be happy to help. Happy mommyhood, and please try not to stress too much! Try to enjoy every second of your little miracle.
This post first appeared on MomEtc.com.