# 0027: Breast Feeding

Don't we all have kind of a love/ hate relationship with breast feeding? When it comes right gown to it I love it, but there have been days when I just kind of hate it. For me those days took place in the summer of 2011 due to a yeast infection in both breasts. I wouldn't wish that on anybody! 
There are painful experiences that sometimes go along with this labor of love. There are some annoyances and some inconveniences. But the good outweighs the bad doesn't it? We've all been through the classes and we all know the many, proven benefits of it (some they tell us are life long). We can see for ourselves the immediate blessings of saving money not buying formula or the baby weight melting off. Some of us really enjoy the sweet, quiet time with our very appreciative babies. The lactation consultants preach the necessity of its immunity giving qualities. They touch on the bonding aspect briefly, of course because nobody wants to push the idea that bonding with your child could ever be more important than- well anything- Bonding with family is hardly a must, let alone worth it! *sarcasm* 
Yes, I def believe breastfeeding is the way to go. I'll encourage anybody to breastfeed. Just try it for the first 2-3 months. It gets better and easier. But if you try and it just doesn't work for you after awhile- it's okay. It's really okay.
Maybe you got sick and dried up. Maybe it was too darn painful, maybe you just messed up somewhere along the way, or heck, maybe you just don't like it. It's okay. Whatever happened or didn't happen- it's okay. Breastfeeding does not make or break you as a mom. It's not the end all, be all. I know when you're just a few months in, it seems like breastfeeding is what makes you a mom, your ticket to mother of the year, the cornerstone of your relationship with your baby, but the truth is there is more to being a mom than feeding one end and wiping the other. I know it doesn't seem that way those first few months because that's about all you're doing, but the day that they do both of those things by themselves comes quicker than you know. This world of caring for an infant only lasts a few short months. Your beautiful face, angelic voice and warm hugs are what that little baby will take with him as he moves into toddler- hood and beyond. You bond with your baby just by taking care of your baby's everyday needs. That little baby sees you as the one who meets its every need all day and he or she doesn't care how it' done. I take that back- they would prefer their needs being met with a smile, and maybe throw in a song, too. 
Moral of the story: yes, I love breastfeeding my babies and encourage everyone to at least try it with theirs, but Fact: there is more to being a good mom than breastfeeding.

Please don't be discouraged about breastfeeding. It's worth learning everything you can about it. It's worth suffering through at times. It's worth the inconvenience. It's worth the extra mile. But it's not worth feeling down and depressed about. There is so much more to do for your baby! We have so much more access to so much information and support today than they had 25 years ago. Take advantage of the classes (sometimes they are free) and all the books out there. But don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't work out. Breastfeeding is not a free pass to great-mom super stardom and not-breastfeeding is not a sealing of your fate to a doomed motherhood. Don't those two things sound ridiculous in the context of breastfeeding? There's so much more to being a mom. So. Much. More.
Well, how's that for a pep-talk? I didn't even get out what all I love about breastfeeding. I still have another 4,974 posts to go!

Here's a book about breastfeeding I thought was really good: The Nursing Mother's Companion