Please share your positive breast-feeding experiences!

[EmilyK]

I know I’ve seen a lot of women on the New Mom’s threads struggling with breast-feeding. It’s great that we can come here to the BB to find solutions, vent, or share, but we don’t often get to hear from women who have had a positive experience (nobody complains about the positive things! ;))! So, I thought it would be neat if you could respond if you’ve had a positive experience to give new moms or moms-to-be some hope that it is possible to enjoy breastfeeding your baby/babies.

Personally, DS is almost 11 months old and has been exclusively breastfed (well, of course he’s on solids now, but still nursing). Sure the first few weeks were tough, but I never had any problems I would classify as huge. By the time he was a month old, we were old pros! :) I did have a few issues with oversupply, but this just stocked our deep freeze, which we’re using up now. I am a working mom and have been pumping while I’m away during the day. All-in-all I would classify my experience as wonderful and gratifying.

[Sarah428]

I too would say my overall experience was an easy & gratifying one. DD is almost 2 1/2 and she weened herself at 6 months even though I wanted to go a year. I remember discomfort in the beginning but I used lots of cabbage leaves and those thin "pads" you keep in the fridge that relieved the pain. Overall I felt like a pro within a week or so, I found the pumping this hardest issue...I hated that!!!

I feel bad because I can't offer a lot of advice since it wasn't that hard for us but then again I'm happy I can't relate! ;) We'll see what happens with #2 due in June.

[leebee]

I can't say enough how glad I am that I stuck through the hard times with DS, who is now 5 (!). It was, admittedly, a rough start, but we got the hang of it quickly and I nursed him until he was almost 2. He weaned himself--I planned to go to 2 at least. He would come up to me and say "Mommy, nurse!" when he was hungry, and I always thought it was so cute! I worked part-time and pumped with DS. When DD was born 14 mos. ago, it felt like I was an old pro. There were still a few painful moments at the beginning, but I knew better what to do. I had to go back to work full time when she was 2 mos., and successfully pumped (w/ my little hand pump, no less) until she was 1 year old. Now, I nurse her 2 or 3 times a day--morning, sometimes when we get home from work, and at night. And a little more on the weekends, just 'cause I can. I wouldn't trade that time for the world! On the weekends, especially, I love to haul her into bed with me and let her nurse while we snuggle. A lot of time she falls back asleep and we doze together. Bliss!

I am totally supportive of the decision not to breastfeed--we all need to make those decisions based on what is best for our babies and for ourselves. So please take my comments in that spirit--I don't want to get into a debate with anyone, just share my own very, very positive experiences.

I love to look at my kids and say, "Hey, I did that!"
I love to think about the immunity boost I've given them.
I love to remember the quiet moments in the middle of the night, when it was just the two of us, rocking away, skin on skin.
I love the convenience of travel--hungry, here, let mama take care of you!
I love the CHEAPNESS of it!!!!
I love that, as a working mom, I was able to not only sustain my children physically when I was away from them, but gain some of the closeness that I personally needed when I was with them.
I loved figuring out what tastes my kids liked based on what I ate--DS loves garlic, DD is a fan of curry, but they both hate spinach.

Okay, so I'm 45 minutes away from being home w/ my daughter and having a let-down moment...For moms that want to nurse, there is support and help all around for the asking. The biggest key is to realize it's sometimes hard to figure out at the beginning. And then, if for whatever reason it doesn't work out, that's fine. There are great options available and we just have to do what's best.

[valchemist]

I've talked about my positive experiences BF'ing my girls on the pregnancy thread and the new moms thread, so I don't want to beat a dead horse. people are tired of listening to me.

but I feel like I have to chime in on a thread like this so people realize that for every bad BF'ing story, there are quite a few good ones. I would agree with Emily when she said that you just tend to HEAR more about the bad experiences because people are looking for help/advice. You don't hear about the good experiences because, well, everything is ducky, so no need to post about it.

Anyway, my experience with both girls has been all positive. There was a little soreness with Julia (my first) but that was to be expected and nothing I couldn't handle. There was no soreness with Kate. And no supply issues with either. I BF'd Julia for 2 1/2 years. I'd do the same for Kate (who is now 6 1/2 months), but since I am one of the unlucky ones who can't get pregnant while nursing, I think I will try to cut her off a bit earlier than 2 1/2 years. (ticking clock and all...)

oh, and I love how the pregnancy weight zips right off when you are BFing. I bake and eat like a fool and yet I have lost most of my pregnancy weight. but that is just a side perk. of course the best perk is just the BFing itself!

I do understand that it is difficult for some people and I would never discount their troubles. But to say BFing is hard for everyone isn't really accurate. It came pretty naturally for me.

[karen w]

I also had very positive experiences breastfeeding my kids(now 9,8, and 6 y.o). Although the first was the most difficult(new mom etc...), thereafter I was an old pro. Like others, I had a problem with oversupply at times, but that kept the freezer full. The freezer supply was used in cereal later on when solids were introduced. Yes, I experienced alot of pain with latching on in the first 2 weeks with my first child, but none at all with the other two. The "gals" were broken in by then! :D I think it also takes a good 4-6 weeks to get a good routine established nursing your child. I nursed DD the longest(15 mo.), and I think I had a harder time stopping then she did. :( I did have two episodes of mastitis, but they were caught early, treated with antibiotics, and resolved without issues. I continued to nurse without problems with the infections(doctor's orders) as well.

I really loved the closeness and bonding. It was great not to have to mix formula, worry about making/cleaning bottles or packing the bottles to travel. And it really gives one a great deal of pride/gratification...like others said..."I did that!!" As for the cheapness...well, I'm sure it was, but to quote DH while I was nursing..."I'm not sure whether it's cheaper to feed you or just go buy formula!" :D I'm very petite and needed to eat/drink ALOT to maintain my milk supply(another bonus...I guess!). I'm sure I could go on, but you get the idea.

Karen

[Jen]

I'll chime in too...I really had nothing but positive experiences with breastfeeding. We had a few problems at the beginning - we had a sleepy baby who didn't want to stay awake to feed, and when my milk came in, she had some problems re-learning how to eat. I am also pretty big up top, so we had some challenges in finding positions that worked well (I started out exclusively with a football hold, which worked great, but had to have a nurse come help me figure out the cradle hold once she got a bit bigger!). I really had no significant pain issues - just some discomfort that lasted a few weeks.

All that being said, I would not trade my experience for anything. I second all of those "I love"s that leebee posted...even though I was glad when Amanda started sleeping through the night, I was also a bit sad that we wouldn't have those nighttime sessions anymore, just the two of us, quiet in the dark. I was lucky enough to have almost 13 months maternity leave, so I didn't have to do the whole pumping at work thing. Amanda never did take a bottle though - a bit of a challenge, but nothing we couldn't work around. By her first birthday she was only nursing 2X/day - first thing in the morning and last thing at night. And she has just finally weaned herself - all by herself!! - in the last couple of weeks (at around 19 1/2 months). Although it's nice to have my body back, I so miss those cuddly moments in bed in the morning.

Like others have posted, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they want to breastfeed - it's such a personal decision. The advice I have is that if it's really important to you, commit to doing it for 6 weeks minimum. There may be many times in those first 6 weeks that you want to give up, but if you can hang in there, it gets so much easier - and if it doesn't, you will know you gave it a really good shot. And one other piece of advice - don't let anyone tell you that, because your baby eats constantly, you're not producing enough milk! If baby isn't growing well, your doctor will let you know, and you may really have supply issues. But from everything I read and the lactation consultants I've spoken to, supply issues only occur in less than 5% of women who attempt to breastfeed. A lot of times, well-meaning "helpers" (your mom, MIL, sisters, etc.) will say "Baby is eating too often - obviously he/she isn't getting enough to eat" and a new mom will feel pressured to start supplementing with formula. But, especially in the first few weeks, that can interrupt the natural supply/demand process that helps establish your milk supply. It is perfectly normal for babies to go through periods of time when they eat CONSTANTLY...I'm talking hours at a time when you can hardly get up off the couch! It doesn't happen often, but during those times it's easy to doubt yourself. If you can just hang in there, they get through the growth spurt and go back to a more "normal" feeding pattern. Just because they're eating a lot doesn't necessarily mean you're not producing enough milk!

[/soapbox]...Just to reiterate, I am absolutely not trying to say there's anything wrong with formula, or supplementing, or whatever, and I know that some women really do have low milk supply. The choice is very personal and there are no "wrong" answers. But I've seen many friends who desperately wanted to make breastfeeding work, but were told they had low supply and felt pressured to supplement before they were really ready, or before it really became necessary. As hard as it is, try to trust your instincts! As long as your baby is growing everything is probably fine.

Best of luck to all the expecting moms, whatever feeding decision you make! :)

[Molli526]

I too, had such a wonderful experience breastfeeding Charles. I regret that I weaned him at 9 months ( had enough pumped milk to last another month though! :) )

I know it is rough in the beginning, b/c you are tired and want to sleep and no one can feed the baby but you, but once you get over that hump, no one can feed the baby but you and it is such an awe-feeling.

I third all the "loves" Leebee posted.

Never did I think I would be such an advocate, but now that I have done it, and plan to again, I feel so differently.

I echo what other say about it being a personal experience, and you have to do what is right for you.

[tbb113]

I nursed both of my sons until they were over a year old.

My older son was a preemie and didn't come home until he was 11 days old. I pumped a few times a day and went to the hospital to feed him as well. Once he came home, I didn't pump again until I went back to work when he was 16 weeks old. He alternated between me and bottles just fine and was exclusively breast fed until he was 6 months. At that point, I switched to formula at day care and me at all other times.

Second son came home with me and once again I nursed exclusively when he was with me.

Nursing to me was a wonderful experience and one that I would do again if I had another child. It was extremely easy, very economical and a great 'mom' experience :)

[sweetpea]

thanks emily for this thread...as has been mentioned not all women feel comfortable with the idea of nursing b/c society (in my opinion) has made it to so we feel our breasts are sexual when they were actually put here with/for a purpose! i might tick some people off here as this is my "touchy issue" but here's my positive experience:

i worked as a RD for WIC for almost 3 years and while we gave out vouchers for formula, we really strived to get mom's to bfd (they got more food for themselves on the WIC program). i was sent to several all day/week long trainings to learn all i could about bfding. at the time it was a bit overboard. then i started working for WIC in a hospital and i had moms who wanted to bfd but needed help but no lact. consul. could be found. it was my turn to help! all my training had finally paid off. it was so gratifying and i got to see up close and personal what it should be like, etc. so then fast forward to when DD was born....a natural birth at a midwifery turned into an emergency c-section at the hospital. 15 min. after leaving the OR, DD was latched on and doing great. never had a problem...some soreness but nothing that lanolin cream didn't help.

so here's my big point: confidence (this is JUST my opinion) is vital for successful bfding. if you have lots of doubts or don't want to or whatever--that will hinder success. i have seen it over and over. i was a great example. i was POSITIVE that we would bfd, be successful and if not at first, then eventually with help. I had LC i could talk to and friends, etc. if needed. I knew where my resources were. i read books. i talked with other nursing moms. i, heaven forbid, watched other nursing moms. one can never know what it's like till you try it but you can learn so much from other nursing moms and most of them aren't shy :) and i don't mean to just read the one section on bfding in the "what to expect..." book, i mean get a full bfding book, read up, soak it up and be confident!

i would have cut off my left arm before i gave emma formula. that's just me. i know it's fine. i know it's there. i didn't want it. like leebee said--immunities, ease of preparing :), ease of transporting, and WOW the money saved! i bfd DD for a full year and i suffered from EXTREME post partum depression for the first 6 months before i got treatment. Nursing was the ONLY thing that still kept me feeling connected to this little person. i refused to stop nursing in order to take meds for my PPD--it was all i felt i had. I am sad (and relieved) that i am done nursing. but nothing was easier or a better experience. i feel very blessed that i was able to...otherwise i would have been kicking and screaming! :D

anyway, i'll go back to my usual threads but had to say YAY for bfding!

[MinEaston]

I guess in my case, my mind told me that breastfeeding was the only way to go. All of my close friends and relatives who I'd seen have children over the last 10+ years had done it, so to me it was just inevitable.

The first 3 or 4 weeks were the hardest. I had toe-curling pain when Anna latched, and DH would often say that he could only handle one crying girl at a time. But I stuck with it (again, I don't think my brain would let me do anything but stick with it. I can be pretty stubborn...) and while I can't remember exactly when it happened, I DO remember that it seemed like it got much much better overnight.

So, where are we now? Anna will be a year old in less than a month. She still nurses first thing in the morning (we call it "breakfast in bed" followed by "nursing calisthenics"), and at bedtime. And, she has 2 or 3 bottles during the day of expressed milk. I still try and pump 2x day at work. I'm fortunate in that I have an office with a door that locks, which has made pumping easier. I am no longer worrying about getting enough during the day (some days I can only pump once), but have just started to mix whole milk with her 1st, and 2nd, if necessary, bottles, so that she goes to daycare with 3 bottles. My current goal is to not have to pump during the day anymore. I plan on nursing her in the morning and at night for a while yet.

Similar to Val, for me the pregnancy weight just melted off. I am actually 10lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight, a weight I never ever expected to reach again, in my life. I know this doesn't happen for everyone, but it did for me.

Phew, I've written a novel. But there you have it.

[Laura]

I breastfed my dd until six months and never had any supply issues and only moderate soreness. After I went back to work at 3 months, I rarely pumped and still had enough to feed her at night and in the evening.

DS was another story b/c I had major supply issues (but didn't know of the herbs that help), and I was going through MAJOR stress unrelated to breastfeeding that significantly affected me. I needed the ability to pass DS off to someone else and have them feed him and me not worry about pumping, etc.

[annagins]

I had a very positive experience and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It was scary at first because it always seemed my milk supply was low. But following guidelines from La Leche and Attachment Parenting groups helped and I nursed successfully for years.

My advice to anyone having issues is to attend a few la leche meetings. The women there are always very eager to help, plus you get instant support.

[magdon]

Thanks Emily for starting this thread. It is nice to hear good stories too. I BF DS pretty much exclusively until he was a year old (he got a bottle of formula a day after about 7 months b/c I didn't feel like pumping AND trying to give him solids) and he was totally weaned by about 15 months. I never had any infections, etc. just doubts. He was one of those sleepy babies but he could get enough to eat in just a couple of minutes and grew beautifully-- those "you should nurse about 15 minutes per side" guidelines drove me nuts! Once I accepted that he was getting what he needed, it was smooth sailing. I remember one day when he was about 4 months old thinking how easy & convenient it all was. It helps that I live in a city where bottle feeding is kind of looked down upon (which it shouldn't be) so I could (and did) feed him pretty much anywhere without getting comments. And I lost an extra 10 pounds with zero effort. I getting ready to start again with a new baby and I just hope it goes as well!

[kima]

I hope you don't mind if an oldie like me jumps in! My DDs are 22 and 24 so it was a long time ago but I have never forgotten how much I love BFing. I nursed my eldest until she was 18 months old (I was pregnant with her sister!) and then I nursed my youngest until she was 2 years old.
I was very young (by today's standards ) when I had them and perhaps ignorance was bliss. I had no problems at all. I nursed everywhere and anywhere and never gave it a moment's thought. I am surprised women run into criticism and are made to feel uncomfortable-I never did and wouldn't have cared less anyway. :confused:
I knew I could not wean my youngest and be anywhere near her so I gradually cut down the nursing and then went away for a weekend. I was in agony but when I came back she was completely over the whole idea and never even tried again!

I miss many things about having young children and BFing is near the top of the list.

BUT I will say I did not sleep through the night for over three years and was constantly exhausted-I am glad I was so young because somehow I managed to build and remodel houses, run 10K races etc. through those years. Now it would kill me. :eek:

[Peggy]

Another "oldie" checking in... ;) My DD is now 16 years old and was breastfeed entirely until she was 9 months old. I would have continued longer but I got an ear infection when she was 8 1/2 months old, took amoxiciilin and on day #7 of treatment converted over to being penicillin-allergic. I ended up with a severe case of serum sickness and had to go on huge does of steroids for several months to recover. End of breastfeeding... :( I was soooo sad to stop so abruptly. I cried and cried the last time I was able to nurse her.

Anyway - I found the La Leche book to be very helpful and it got me through a few days of low supply and built up my confidence so I could be successful. I went back to work full-time when DD was 4 months old and was able to pump 2-3 times a day at work and save all of the milk to feed her at the babysitter's the following day. We also bought a deep freeze freezer so I could keep extra milk frozen for those occasional emergencies. DD never had any formula. By the time I had to stop, she was eating a lot of solid foods and the pediatrician switched her over to regular milk.

It can be done! It's not for everyone but it was one of my most special and rewarding memories as a mother. :)

Peggy

[sweetpea]

and i have to add this a.m.--i lost all my prego wt gain by 4 months PP and didn't even try. i am now 10 lbs. LIGHTER than i was when i got prego--yes, i exercise but nursing helped it just melt off! 500 calories per day burned up thanks to bfding! yee-haw!

[Laura]

BF definitely helped me lose weight; I gained 47 pounds with my first pregnancy :eek: (not recommended) and lost it all by 4 months. With my DS I gained only 30, but it took much longer to come off. Now I was also carrying for a toddler at the time, but BF definitely helped.

[EmilyK]

Well, since we're posting about the extra benefits of breast-feeding... :p I last all 40 pounds I had gained while pregnant by around 6 months and am now below my pre-prego weight. I ate REALLY bad while I was home on leave, which had something to do with why it took a little longer to lose my weight.

Thank you to all of you who are posting your positive experiences! :) I was really hoping some of the "older" mommies would post as well... it's really great to hear ALL of your experiences!

[JenZen]

I'll chime in!

I nursed DS for 1 year. We made it without ever having to do formula, which was a huge goal of mine. I was very determined to make it ... even saved every extra ounce so I could leave on a four-day trip to New York when he was 6 months old. I ended up pumping in a public bathroom in the airport as I was traveling ... not my favorite moment. :) But that's another story ...

Anyway, we had a lot of low points in the beginning, but I'm so glad I stuck with it. It did get so much easier, and it was such a rewarding thing.

I still look at him and think, "I did that!" I also think he's got a special attachment with me right now ... even though he's already weaned.

[Jessica]

I just wanted to say "thank you" to Emily for starting this thread and for all the responses. I am 21w pg and REALLY want to breastfeed, and I am heartened to hear all the good stories. I will keep in mind the advice of committing to six weeks--my mom will be here for a while and she bfed all of us, so she will be very supportive, too.

[EmilyK]

Jessica, you're more than welcome. That is exactly why I started the thread... good luck and be sure to ask for help if you do have any problems!! Like sweetpea said, it helps SOOOOOO much to read as many books as you can and gather up any available information. My book is borrowed right now, but when I get it back, you can borrow it as well. :) Just let me know if you're interested. I think it's "The Complete Guide to Breastfeeding".

[Peggy]

I think the La Leche book I used was called "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". I highly recommend it.

As far as the weight loss benefits... I gained 24 pounds when I was pregnant with DD. Four weeks after she was born I was at my pre-pregnancy weight. The pounds continued to drop effortlessly for the next few months until I was down another 6 pounds. I was the lightest I had been since high school. So that was a huge plus!! :)

Peggy

[TerriS]

What a nice thread! It's fun to read everyone's experiences.

Well, as I sit here pumping ;) here we are at 7 months tomorrow. I tried to go into it with confidence - expecting the best, preparing for the worst. I read up pretty well - the Dr. Sears book, "So That's What They're For" and another book.

DD was sleepy and jaundiced when she was born so getting her to eat anything was a priority. She also had a little trouble keeping her temp up in the hospital, so the nurse insisted we try a little formula (which pissed me off, but whatever) but my little gal was having none of it. :)

I have to say I didn't really experience any pain! I know, crazy! :) DD latched well and once my milk came in we were good to go! One thing that freaked me out was that she only took about 5-10 minutes at a feeding. Nothing like the "baby attached to me all the time" stories I'd heard, but on the other hand, it freaked me out! We also had trouble keeping her awake - she stayed sleepy for a month! All the tricks of keeping her awake - the wet washcloth on the face, waving the arms around, etc - we did all that. However, she had all the requisite poopy and wet diapers, and gained a ton of weight by her first appt. So I stopped worrying. :)

Another good part of the experience was that while I didn't really mind getting up at night since she would eat fast, my little gal slept through the night at 6 weeks old and has been pretty good about it ever since! I feel so, so blessed and lucky. That made our whole early parenting experience so much better.

We did have a fun ;) bout with thrush. Now that was pain. Nothing got rid of it either - gentian violet, acidopholus - until I got a prescription for diflucan. Thank god. We got through that.

She does eat for longer periods now - I wondered when she ever would for a while! - and at 7 months she is now in the 95th percentile for weight and off the charts in height - when she was born she was 50th for weight and 75th for height.

My supply took a nosedive after the New Year, and I was bad and didn't have a good stash, so we had to supplement. I was like sweetpea and wanted no part of it, but I didn't have a choice and to my surprise it was not the end of the world. My supply recovered somewhat and now she gets about 4 oz a day and the rest is breastmilk and I am totally fine with that!

I don't know how long we'll go - pumping really bugs me, and I sometimes want ownership of my body back - but I am really proud that we made it to six months exclusive, and that my little girl is doing so well.

[greta]

i'm chiming in to let people know that even if you have a difficult time breastfeeding one child, another child can go smoothly--i'm proof of that!

i nursed laith for 9 months and it was a struggle the entire time--that's not to say i didn't enjoy the experience as a whole, but it wasn't easy. i had a supply issue due to laith's sucking problem. my pump and i were best friends! ;)

with saif, it was a totally different experience. i never had an overabundance of milk, but just enough for my boy. he was a champion sucker, latched on like a champ from minute one. unfortunately, i went back to work when he was 10 weeks old and had to wean him--i can't pump at work.

i hope to have more kids, and i plan on nursing them all (hopefully i won't have the going back to work issue). i will pump too though, because i like that my husband can share in the feeding experience.

[gertdog]

i'm chiming in to let people know that even if you have a difficult time breastfeeding one child, another child can go smoothly--i'm proof of that!

This is really, really good to hear- it didn't work out with DS for me, but we want to have another child and I am eager to try breastfeeding again. I had ample supply and no pain with pumping for 8 weeks; if we had been able to resolve DH's latch issue I like to think it would have been fairly smooth sailing.

I also wanted to say that I found the two La Leche meetings I went to, as well as my hospitals' weekly breastfeeding support group, to be incredibly welcoming and supportive. I would definitely recommend those.

[Bawstinn]

I also just wanted to thank everyone for posting their positive experiences. Reading about the problems people have have made me start to wonder whether or not I'll be able to do it come June and I really want to go into this with a postive attutide!

I did find this website, by way of Consumer Reports Magazine, but either there isn't a lactation consultant near me, or just that there isn't on registered through this site:

http://www.breastfeeding.com/

We have an appointment to tour the birthing suites and hear about their sercives at one of the nearby hospitals, so I figure I can ask some questions then too.

Emily - I found the Complete Book of Breastfeeding and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Breastfeeding on Amazon. I am assuming it is the first?

Maria

[EmilyK]

Maria, it is the Complete Book of Breastfeeding (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761109021/ref=cm_plog_item_link/102-4504236-8774524?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=283155). Sorry I didn't give the correct title the first time. I really got a lot out of it... I know there are a few other books people have recommended as well. It's nice to read through before the baby arrives and then reference when you have issues/questions.

[Molli526]

I have and recommend The Nursing Mother's Companion (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/155832304X/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_2_0/102-6601289-2272928?%5Fencoding=UTF8)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/155832304X.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[LaraW]

I nursed my DD for 15 months, and have been nursing my DS since he was born 2 weeks ago. I'm planning to go until he turns 1, but we'll just have to see how everything goes with that.

Right now its hard because he's in that phase where he is nursing seemingly constantly, but I know that will change soon.

One big challenge we had with DD was that we could never get her to take a bottle. She would rather starve than take a bottle. That was very hard when I went back to work when she was 4 months old, but we got through it. What choice did we have? I'm planning to start pumping and will introduce a bottle to Colin in the next couple of weeks. I think our big mistake was that we were not consistent with the bottle and that is why Natalie never took one.

[NewMrsG]

It's wonderful to hear all of these heartwarming stories! I have to say that this is one of the things I'm most looking forward to. It was unclear for a time whether I'd be able to BF because of medications that I take and I would have been heartbroken if I'd missed this. We'll see how I feel after I'm in the thick of it, but I'm going into this hopeful and excited!

[karen w]

As an aside....just thought I'd share a "funny." :D Everytime I was nursing around MIL she would be obviously frustrated or concerned that I might not be giving the baby enough since we could not measure what they were getting. DH and I came up with this one for MIL...everytime I nursed, my kids got "2 cups" worth....since I went from a "B" to an "A" on the right and a "B" to an "A" on the left!! :p

Also when I was nursing my youngest(now 6), her brothers would want to help(then 2 and 3) so we used to have them sit with me and "hold the bottle" by placing one of their hands over my chest above the nursing breast. We have a few pictures of the boys helping with beaming smiles on their faces. :)

Karen

[GingerPow]

What lovely and informative answers to this topic. I couldn't add any new information, just my 2 cents...

My kids are teens and 20's now, but I remember their baby days and nursing them, and what a precious experience it was. I'm so glad I nursed all three, for different lengths of time, as each child is different. They all got a good start in life, and those are memories that I'll cherish forever.

[kermit]

Just wanted to add another postitive bf'ing experience here. DS was breastfed until he weaned himself at 11months old, and DD has been exclusively BF for 6 months now. I had pain in the beginning for both of them, but it pretty quickly became a routine and I absolutely love(d) breastfeeding my kids. I find it amazing that my body is able to nourish my baby, it feels almost magical sometimes to think that it really "works" :) I know there are many reasons why people can't/don't breastfeed & have nothing against formula feeding, and I feel very lucky that breastfeeding was not difficult for me.

[KCSunshine]

I nursed DS (who just turned 3 yesterday!) for 14 months. I loved it. I wanted to nurse him until he turned 2, but he had decided that he was done at 14 months. By then, he was so busy running around that the nursing time was the only time he was still, other than sleeping, and I really enjoyed the closeness and bonding. He was never sick when I was nursing him (he didn't get a cold until he was maybe 20 months old), and he isn't often sick now, which I attribute to nursing. He's never had an ear infection either. I am looking forward to breastfeeding when we have our next child. It was an incredible experience that I feel very fortunate to have had.

[NMG]

I breastfed DD exclusivly for 6 months. I went back to work when she was 2 months :( but stocked up the deep freezer whenever possible. After about 2 months of being back at work I was unable to pump any more milk :( but had enough inthe freezer for day care (still nursed DD in the evenings and before work in the am). Started weaning DD after about 6 months due to lack of milk - but would have loved to nurse throughout her first year exclusively. All in all it was a wonderful experience and DD had no problems latching on from the beginning. DS was another story and although it was a positive experiance with DS, I was unable to nurse him for longer than 6 months due to lack of milk - he seems to have the biggest appetite ever and I just never had enough for him!!! Oh well - if DH and I have any more children (I would love 2 more) I will be nursing them for as long as I'm able too!