This has always been my belief, and every time the issue comes up, someone says I should write about it. Some I feel agree with me but most are trying to egg me on like I’m going against breastfeeding advocates. In all honesty, I just want women to be allowed to be able to choose without any guilt.
Breastfeeding is indeed beneficial. As a mother information is key, and studies show the best milk that comes out of us is the yellowish one “collostrum” during the first week of childbirth. But I don’t necessarily believe women should feel guilty if they feel it’s not for them. First off, most mothers are working moms. And I don’t mean chauffer-driven moms, but the ones who have to commute long hours just to get to their place of work. That alone is tiring and stressful.
Second, our country doesn’t have “real” facilities to support breastfeeding moms. Most offices aren’t exactly comfortable enough for moms when they want to pump milk. Think also about how we are still just in the process of implementing the expanded maternity leave bill. But even with that, most moms are not even regular employees, they wont be able to enjoy this benefit.
Third, if you’re stressed or unhappy, you transfer that energy to your child. After a week of direct feeding I started using the pump since I felt like I was headed towards post-partum depression. I was exhausted, and using the breast pump made me feel like I was in control again of my own time. I was able to leave the house for an hour and enjoy lunch with my girlfriends. That lifted my spirits. Otherwise, I didn’t want to subject my baby to my foul mood. I think that’s also unfair and unhealthy for them. I will even go as far as saying I believe that negative energy gets transferred to the milk.
As much as it’s such a joy to have a baby it is also tiring. And all these “breastfeeding is still best for babies” campaign drives me a bit nuts. Because I think a happy healthy mom makes a happy healthy baby. If you find it difficult to breastfeed or even worse, if you don’t have milk to breastfeed, please, by all means give your child the bottle. It doesn’t make you less of a mom. You’re just a woman more in tune with yourself and making sensitive decisions for both you and your child.