"The Great Breast Feeding Debacle"
Oh were to begin on the subject of breast feeding. Growing up and knowing that I was a breast fed baby, it was something I always said I wanted to do. I had always heard such good things about breast feeding. Things such as it's better for the baby, and that breastfeed babies are healthier. I had also heard things like the babies will be smarter... and if you breast feed then you have a less chance of getting breast cancer. Also that there are nutrients in breast milk that your baby can't get anywhere else.
Well how come no one ever talk's about the bad thing's about breastfeeding. How come no one ever told me that it can be really hard sometimes for the baby to latch on, and that the longer it takes, the longer they go without their first food. Also, that your breast can get engorged and feel like cinder blocks. Or that they will leak through layers of clothing if your baby isn't ready to eat yet and there full. Or here's my favorite... how come no one ever told me that it can hurt and even cause bruising and scabs.
Then there are side effects such as feeding in public. I wasn't embarrassed to so long as I had a cover, but pulling up 2 or more layers of clothes in public is no easy task, cover or not. Oh and not to mention it's suppose to be so much healthier for the baby, yet my doctor gave me vitamin drops to give to Liam because there were just certain vitamins in formula that are not in breast milk she said.  No one ever told me these negative effects of breast feeding so I thought I would feel you in. For some people, like my mom it works out great, for others it doesn't, and for some it never even crosses their mind to try. For example, I have one friend who say's that the idea of breast feeding make's here feel like a cow who's utters are being milked. hahaha.
Liam was born with a tongue tie that was not corrected until he was three day's old. This tongue tie made it virtually impossible for him to latch on, but we kept trying anyway. It got a little better once it was corrected but it took him about 5 days before he could actually feed just from my milk. The problem never really went away though, because even though he could move his tongue, he still couldn't physically latch on right. I tried to keep going and work through the pain for 5 weeks, but finally I had to say enough is enough and I had to switch him to formula. This was a very hard decision, one that I cried about for hours, but I knew that it was the right thing to do. I wanted Liam to have what was best for him, and a mommy who cries every time you eat is not good. So Tommy Tippee bottles and Gerber formula are Liam's means of food now.