Breastfeeding Stories

I’m sorry for your horror stories!

Perhaps this will help some of you…

~laura

What If I Want To Wean My Baby?
©2000 Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC 136 Ellis Hollow Creek Road Ithaca,
NY 14850

Breastfeeding your baby for even a day is the best baby gift you can
give. Breastfeeding is almost always the best choice for your baby.
If it doesn’t seem like the best choice for you right now, these
guidelines may help.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR JUST A FEW DAYS, he will have received
your colostrum, or early milk. By providing antibodies and the food
his brand-new body expects, nursing gives your baby his first – and
easiest – “immunization” and helps get his digestive system going
smoothly. Breastfeeding is how your baby expects to start, and helps
your own body recover from the birth. Given how very much your baby
stands to gain, and how little you stand to lose, it just makes good
sense to breastfeed for at least a day or two, even if you plan to
bottle-feed after that.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR FOUR TO SIX WEEKS, you will have eased him
through the most critical part of his infancy. Newborns who are not
breastfed are much more likely to get sick or be hospitalized, and
have many more digestive problems than breastfed babies. After 4 to 6
weeks, you’ll probably have worked through any early nursing
concerns, too. Make a serious goal of nursing for a month, call La
Leche League or a certified lactation consultant if you have any
questions, and you’ll be in a better position to decide whether
continued breastfeeding is for you.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 3 OR 4 MONTHS, her digestive system will
have matured a great deal, and she will be much better able to
tolerate the foreign substances in commercial formulas. If there is a
family history of allergies, though, you will greatly reduce her risk
by waiting a few more months before adding anything at all to her
diet of breastmilk. And giving nothing but your milk for the first
four months gives strong protection against ear infections for a
whole year.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 6 MONTHS without adding any other food or
drink, she will be much less likely to suffer an allergic reaction to
formula or other foods later on; the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommends waiting until about 6 months to offer solid foods. Nursing
for at least 6 months helps ensure better health throughout your
baby’s first year of life, reduces your little one’s risk of ear
infections and childhood cancers, and reduces your own risk of breast
cancer. And exclusive, frequent breastfeeding during the first 6
months, if your periods have not returned, provides 98% effective
contraception.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 9 MONTHS, you will have seen him through
the fastest and most important brain and body development of his life
on the food that was designed for him – your milk. Nursing for at
least this long will help ensure better performance all through his
school years. Weaning may be fairly easy at this age… but then, so
is nursing! If you want to avoid weaning this early, be sure you’ve
been available to nurse for comfort as well as just for food.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR A YEAR, you can avoid the expense and
bother of formula. Her one-year-old body can probably handle most of
the table foods your family enjoys. Many of the health benefits this
year of nursing has given your child will last her whole life. She
will have a stronger immune system, for instance, and will be much
less likely to need orthodontia or speech therapy. The American
Academy of Pediatrics recommends nursing for at least a year, because
it helps ensure normal nutrition and health for your baby.

IF YOU NURSE YOUR BABY FOR 18 MONTHS, you will have continued to
provide the nutrition, comfort, and illness protection your baby
expects, at a time when illness is common in formula-fed babies. Your
baby is probably well started on table foods, too. He has had time to
form a solid bond with you – a healthy starting point for his growing
independence. And he is old enough that you and he can work together
on the weaning process, at a pace that he can handle. A former U.S.
Surgeon General said, “it is the lucky baby… that nurses to age
two.”

IF YOUR CHILD WEANS WHEN SHE IS READY, you can feel confident that
you have met your baby’s physical and emotional needs in a very
normal, healthy way. In cultures where there is no pressure to wean,
children tend to nurse for at least two years. The World Health
Organization and UNICEF strongly encourage breastfeeding through
toddlerhood: “Breastmilk is an important source of energy and
protein, and helps to protect against disease during the child’s
second year of life.” It just makes sense to build our children’s
bones from the milk that was designed for them. Your milk provides
antibodies and other protective substances for as long as you
continue nursing, and families of nursing toddlers often find that
their medical bills are lower than their neighbors’ for years to
come. Research indicates that the longer a child nurses, the higher
his intelligence. Mothers who nurse longterm have a still lower risk
of developing breast cancer. Children who were nursed longterm tend
to be very secure, and are less likely to suck their thumbs or carry
a blanket. Nursing can help ease both of you through the tears,
tantrums, and tumbles that come with early childhood, and helps
ensure that any illnesses are milder and easier to deal with. It’s an
all-purpose mothering tool you won’t want to be without! Don’t worry
that your child will nurse forever. All children stop on their own,
no matter what you do, and there are more nursing toddlers around
than you might guess.

WHETHER YOU NURSE FOR A DAY OR FOR SEVERAL YEARS, the decision to
nurse your child is one you need never regret. And whenever weaning
takes place, remember that it is a big step for both of you. If you
choose to wean before your child is ready, be sure to do it
gradually, and with love.

This is my all time favorite:

I’m the first in my family to breastfeed. The past 8 months, I have got nothing but “she probably wouldn’t have these reflux issues if she was on formula.”

amandabarugh2006-11-8 23:36:1

“almost always the best choice” are the key words for me. It IS a good article, but brought back all the old feelings of severe guilt that I have over the fact that I was unable to nurse Aidan at all, while I nursed his brother for so long….

Jill, funny b/c it did the opposite for me… it made me feel like even though I didn’t do it as long as I wanted, what I did was good in itself. It’s a mother’s choice… you do what you can and what you want. Either way, my new life philosophy is that it doesn’t help to focus on the past. We need to accept the choices we make and move forward. You are a great mom to your kids.

Lori, I like your new life philosophy…forgive yourself and move on…I wish I was better at it.

Jill, you’re right. We’re all great moms!

Aww.. how sweet. Hailey as your inspiration.

That’s good to hear! I’m so happy to hear that she’s a happy little girl despite all the struggles she’s endured.