Let me go ahead and state that I have nursed 3 boys, my oldest is now 11 and my youngest is 16 months who I am currently weening. I have 3 different experiences with nursing all my boys. My oldest was a struggle because I was 22 when I had him and I was clueless. I had no support, no fancy pillow and I was pretty much on my own. I made it a little bit over 6 months before I caved to the formula temptation. My second child was MUCH different. He cried, and cried and the only time I could soothe him was while I was nursing. So nursed I did. I worked also, which means I pumped while at work and in-between his feedings while I was at home. My pump was my best friend. I nursed him for almost a year. It was a struggle. I had issues with his latching on, and yeast infections. I was stressed if I was pumping enough milk for him, if he was hungry while I was working, if my babysitter was heating the milk properly. I was one stressed out momma, and it was not a pleasent time for any of us. My youngest child was so easy! He latched on right away and it was perfect! I had a fancy pillow, and a decent pump which I hated to use. He is much easier to nurse and I will admit that it was still a struggle!
Nursing a child is no easy thing. I know that if your pregnant you will be pressured into at least trying to nurse for the good of your child because breast milk is the best, and it is honestly. It has heaps of good things for your baby in it that your body is making JUST for him or her. It's always the perfect tempture, it has the perfect amount of Fat and proteins in it unlike cow milk or formula. It helps your little one's gut develop and his brain grow! Nursing also bonds the baby and mom, and helps the mom recover from the birth. The biggest perk is no bottles to buy or expensive formula to suck your money out of your bank account. As I said, Lots of good stuff.
Even good things have a downside. Breastfed babies grow at different rates than formula fed babies so be prepared to get lots of worried looks from your baby's doctor, and comments from strangers (Oh my he is little! Was he a preemie?) Only you can feed him/her until you can start pumping which is roughly a month after you have given birth. You will leak like a faucet until your body settles into your baby's feeding routine. Be prepared to not get a full night's sleep for a while. My youngest is 16 months and he still wakes up at least once a night to nurse. I have adjusted to this lack of sleep, but I do long for a full 8-9 hours of sleep like a normal person would get. Be pepared to whip out your breasts in all locations. I have nursed in cars, malls, living rooms of my family, resturants, the park, the movies, at the drive-in, and the oddest place as of yet has been at a Banana Pudding Contest. Of course you try to be descreet and try nurse somewhere quiet with few distractions and that can be sometimes hard to do.
If I was a pregnant mom I would weigh the pros and cons before I commited myself to either formula or breastfeeding. Buy a book, do some research, talk to a mom who has breastfed; Basically do your homework. I am going to be honest. It is hard. The first 6 months are all about nursing for a little one. They are striving to build up fat and grow, and so of course they need a lot of fuel for that!
If you are going to nurse I recommend you not to purchase a single bottle or any formula. The hopsital will send you home with some, but don't use it. I kept a can of formula for almost 7 months before I used it and it was an emergency. I felt good knowing I had that there if I NEEDED it, but I kept it out of sight so I would not be tempted. Once you start formula it just goes downhill from there. If you can make it the first 6 months you can make it another 6 months. It flys by to be honest. After the first 6 months your baby will become more interested in trying to roll over and crawling than nursing all the time. They will start to discover the world and you and your breasts will get a much needed change in routine that will allow you some distance between feedings.
I know the major concern for new moms is their baby getting enough? Your body will meet your baby's demand with flying colors. As long as they have plenty of wet and dirty diapers daily you are doing it right! I know it's hard because you can't physically see what your baby is consuming, but you can see the results of it which is just as good. I kept a notepad handy to write down notes about feeding times, and diaper changes. When I was feeling tempted to fix a bottle of formula I read my notebook for support. It helped me be confident in nursing him.
The most important key thing a mom needs is SUPPORT! If your husband/partner is not supporting your nursing then you might as well forget it. Thankfully my husband was all for it ("Honey, you can nurse all you want! Formula is nearly $20 a can!). In short, or the long of it, if your are considering nursing really do your homework so you can be prepared, and talk to your doctor and husband about it. Don't be pressured into it. They make formula for a reason; Nursing is HARD and not everyone can do for a whole slew of reasons. Don't feel guilty if you are going to formula way. All that matters is that your little one is cared for and loved. The end result is the same with either option. They will grow, pee, poo, walk, talk and melt your heart.
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