Sharing my breasts (The Breastfeeding Debate)

Member Name: kezbomb

Product:	The Breastfeeding Debate
Date:	22/11/01 (164 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: costs nothing, helps get your figure back, and lose weight, helps build the childs immune system

Disadvantages: sore breasts first few days

Imagine if you will, it's been 30 days and nothing, over the next week you keep nipping off to the loo, and still nothing. So you start to get a bit worried. You give it another week and then decide to go to the chemist and get a test. Yes, you think you're pregnant.

You get home rush to the loo, wait a few minutes and wait for the little stick you've just pee'd on to change colour. Then a tear comes to you eye, this tear can either be a tear of joy or one of sadness. Ive had tears of both sadness and joy but love the three of them to bits and would'nt be without any of them, but I do hope not to have to cry any of those tears again.

So then the next day you make an appointment with your doctor to get it confirmed, and get yourself registered with a midwife and book your bed in the hospital. Yes it is all done this quickly.

A few days later maybe even a week or two,a midwife turns up on your doorstep to take down all your details, like the day of your last period, how many children you have and of course if you are going to breast feed.

Take into account you've only just found out your pregnant, and she is asking you if you are willing to share you breast's with a tiny little creature, who you had no idea about until a few days ago, and who is more than likely to make you boobs as big as dolly partons and as sore as you can possible imagine. This child will bite them, chew on them, and much more enjoyable though, fall asleep on them and get all the nourishment it deserves.

With my first child it was a definate no, I was young, and never regretted it, she is 11 now and in very good health, never had asthma, or excema. With my second I said no, but did change my mind and I breastfed her for 6months. And with my third child I said yes straight away, and breastfed her for 15months.

So when my 2nd child arrived she was put straight to the breast, I had no idea what to do, but the midwife w
as there to help.

It was definatley trial and error for a few days and thought id give up, but never did. It was uncomfortable on the stomach though, as when the baby suckles it pulls the stomach back, so it is a little like contractions all over again. I had this for about 2wks, but it only lasts a few minutes at a time. On about day 3 your milk come's in and you need to start wearing your breastpads, otherwise you will get soaked, and it does'nt look a pretty site either. Make sure to wash your breasts too, otherwise you will smell like off milk, and makesure only to wash in clear water, not soap, otherwise baby wont want to suckle.

After about a week my milk really set in and my breasts became hard, as there was more than enough milk, and this set of mastitis. Mastitis is an infection because the breast has not been emptied enough. It starts off like flu, and you get very hot and weak, and your breasts go very red. I had this a lot with my second baby, and my male doctor didnt know what was wrong with me. But you do need to take antibiotics, which i didnt get from him!!!

I fed my 2nd baby for 6 months, and she finished feeding of her own accord, which was lovely as I didnt have to go through the guilt of having to wean her.

With baby number 3 which was fed for 15 months, I got back into it straight away, even though it had been 5yrs since id fed number 2. She was avery content baby, and would'nt sleep unless at the breast.

I had mastitis again, but this time had changed my doctor to a female one who knew what was wrong straight away and gave me antibiotics, and this cleared it up in a day or so, and helped it from coming back.

I did wean her off though, after 15months. I felt the need for my breasts back, I was no longer willing to share, I had had enough, I felt guilty, but knew id done my best for her.

There are lots of advantages to breast feeding and they definatley out way any ba
d points.

You bond with your baby straight away, I feel much closer to my breastfed babys, than to the one I did'nt feed.

You have no making bottles in the middle of the night,and sterilising them.

You are giving them what nature intended.

Helping to prevent asthma and excema.

The bad points are-

The awful bra's you have to wear.

The infections I got.

The change of shape in your breasts.

And the awful looks you get when feeding in public.

All I have to say on the last point is, next time you have a bite to eat, see how you would like it sitting on a public toilet to eat your meal!

I have lost count on the amounts of time ive had to sit on a public loo to feed my baby, but with my third daughter I just wrapped us up in a shawl, and no one could tell, You soon become a dab hand at it.

Well worth giving breastfeeding a go. So go on share your breasts, you know you're babies worth it.

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