Monday, May 6, 2013

A word on breastfeeding

Before I became pregnant, I did not have much of an opinion about breastfeeding. I really never thought much about the topic. When we decided to have a baby I knew I had to soon decide. I did a lot of research and got the point-of-view from other moms; some who did breastfeed and some who did not. When forming my decision about future Howard baby, I came to the conclusion that there were just too many positive aspects about breastfeeding to not do it. 

One thing I learned soon after delivering Adalyn was that I needed to become more comfortable with my own body. To this day, I am still not that comfortable with breastfeeding in public. I have absolutely no problem with other women breastfeeding in public, using a cover or not. I just find it is the discomfort with myself. I am a bit more comfortable breastfeeding in front of doctors, nurses, or lactation consultants (I figure most have seen this and much more not only from myself but many, many other women). I also have found that I am pretty comfortable breastfeeding in front of other women with babies--but with a cover. 
After a feeding
I don't know if I will ever feel that comfort to breastfeed in public. In fact, when Adalyn was just three weeks old, we went to Florida, and I found myself feeding her at the airport in family bathrooms and in areas that had very few people. 
I think in the end, it is more important to continue breastfeeding even though I have some discomfort with my body. I am doing what is best for Adalyn and not what I am most comfortable with. 

Having a free way to feed my daughter is definitely a plus. It would also be a lot more convenient to formula feed Adalyn, but I don't think I would ever give up the bond that I have with her for convenience. 

The next step is deciding when I will stop breastfeeding...

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