to ask what you love about breast feeding?

[macramemiss]

I've been breast feeding for 8 months. It was fucking awful in the beginning and initially I did combined feeding as my son was losing weight (dangerously so). No formula now, but also no judgement towards those who do ff. That's not what this thread is about and I still have my formula in the cupboard, just in case :)

Bf for me is amazing now and I absolutely love it. I love the way my son kneads my boob it's pretty cute, and the way he whimpers when I'm trying to get my bra undone but am not quite going quick enough. It's a pretty distinct noise!

Anyway. I've been experiencing pain which I discovered is from a blocked duct. Very painful and wanted to remind myself of why I love breastfeeding.

Anyone else care to share what they love about breast feeding?

Weight loss despite so much cake!
The cuddling
The relaxing hormones that chill you out in the day and send everyone back to sleep at night
Convenience
Better for the environment
No periods
The eye contact thing is pretty special too

The letdown to me feels like mild cramp in my boobs.

Gosh OP blocked ducts are so painful, I hope you get started soon, at the stage you are at now I used to get blebs a lot, easily sorted but man painful.

I took a long while getting a good bf relationship going, 3 children actually, on my first 2 the pain was way worse than labour and they tore my nipples through and on my 3rd that was starting again so I went to see a lactation consultant. Turns out all 3 of mine were tongue tied. After finally getting sorted and making my peace with nipples shields, a great invention that get a really bad rap, we took off. I bf for 2.5 years and absolutely loved it. My DC was so fun and loved nothing better than to laugh and mess at the breast. Milky laughs and messing with me. I loved that you could go away for a few days and decide to stay longer with 50% of the stuff if taken for the other DC because with bf I found co sleeping something I always swore I had no interest in, completely invaluable. So no cot, no sterilisers, no bottles, no soothers.

I loved that my DC was so physically bonded to me and I was to him like in pregnancy. In fact most of the things o thought I would absolutely hate about bf I actually loved.

I also loved that he was never, ever sick which compared to my older 2 FF made a huge difference, we pay for GP care where I am €55 a pop, we spent an utter fortune on GP visits for the older 2. The middle one suffered many febrile convulsions the older one had loads of random stuff, DC3 has never had a paid GP visit for the stuff the older 2 regularly had, outside of vaccinations which are free. Even conjunctivitis which he had a few times can be treated directly with BM. He is 7 now and still remembers being BF, he talks about how breast feed babies if I ask him about it. That is quite nice as where we live FF is by far the cultural norm which means that for most people BF is completely alien and I like that for my 3 DC, it is just normal because all 3 of them saw it with DC3. So even though I only managed it for a prolonged period with 1 of them all 3 have experienced it in a way.

The smiles mid feed
The snuggles
The convinience at night
I love being able to feed anywhere

My favourite thing: The weigh ins and seeing him follow the 75th percentile line. We had such a difficult start to breastfeeding and it was rougher with my first, this gives me such a sense of achievement as I've worked so damn hard at it and it's finally pretty natural :)

Hope your blocked duct is resolved asap

I fed one till just over 3 and the other till nearly 4. Loved it.

I worked full time after mat leave and gained a lot of comfort knowing this was the one thing that only I could do.

The convenience. The intimacy. That I could co-sleep and feed (prob saved my sanity!).

I don't think I had this letdown reflex that everyone is talking about. And I didn't bother with the eye contact because staring at a baby's face for over an hour is too boring. I watched reruns of This Life and read a lot while breastfeeding.

@TapasForTwo i got through all the seasons of Criminal Minds

I didn’t have to wake for night/morning feeds (co slept). I didn’t have to faff around preparing a bag to go out. I was back in my normal clothes within weeks. As polarising as this next statement will be, I just don’t care, it is absolutely the best thing for babies and I was proud I did it so long.

For me it's a lot of what previous post have said especially the bonding element. But also I extended bf and it massively helped when the tantrums started. Whenever she got upset/angry/scared. It was my instant calming tool hope you feel better soon OP

Never having to leave my bed to feed during the night

I’m a lazy sod, and getting up in the night to make bottles etc is not something I’m mentally prepared for!!

Dd is just 2 and still bf, I have had enough now really as I've fed for 5 years non stop as I bf her brother til he was 3. The thing that keeps me going is knowing when she's poorly and doesn't feel like eating or drinking she will still bf. She battled through awful chicken pox recently and being able to bf her was reassuring.

That it was just for us. Especially in the early days, as a possessive, uncertain new mum. He'd always need a feed just as I was thinking 'I'd like him back now'

The incredible rush of realising that home for him was wherever I was, and that I had everything he needed.

That it eases the transition from inside to outside-ok baby, you're born now, but I'm going to keep you alive with my body for a bit longer

(Total vanity after the above: lost 3 stone in 6 months. Baby looked like a tiny Michelin man. Good times!)

It’s lovely to see some extended feeders on here. Dd2 is 2.3 and I’m still feeding her. I only know one other person in real life who fed for longer.

I initially breastfed because it was free. Both dd1 & 2.

Now I love how she kneads my boob like a kitten when she feeds and that it brings her so much comfort.

Should say also that I found it really, really hard at first-any harder and I would have quit. Made it to 14 months but then stopped for several reasons, in no particular order: he was ready; was also v grabby/bitey; had enough of massive boobs and breastfeeding clothes. Most importantly though I'm thinking about having another and my periods hadn't come back despite tapering to 2 feeds a day. They started the week I stopped!

I agree with those who said it was a means to an end. Convenient and quick. I also got through 11 seasons of Criminal Minds! I found it tough going at points and it left me feeling a bit touched out at times, but night time feeding was so easy. I didn't lose any weight, it made it harder infact. Putting dd2 to the breast didn't work as a 'fix all' either. If she wasnt hungry, she wasn't hungry and would scream louder so I didnt really have the comfort feeding. In the early days I loved sitting and watching both of my girls feed too. DD1 was bottle fed after I had lactation failure and she used to grab my little finger whilst she fed which was just so cute. Dd2 was bf and she would hold my boob like she was holding a cup. Bonding always came from interaction for me - eye contact, smiles, falling asleep on my chest in that position where yoy can feel their gentle breathing on your skin. Im going to stop now before Im tempted to have another!

The lazy night cuddles just the two of us.
The fact I didn’t need to take bottles etc out
The hormonal high after every feed
The look on her face after she pulled off.
The fact that I BF to 3 years and 8 months and she can remember and would talk about it at school. I have a really early piece of her writing where she says how much she loves it

Everything! I love absolutely everything about it!!! It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done

I like it because I’m lazy! No bottles to wash, no getting up in the night etc. Empty changing bag basically. I am bf DC2, who is nearly 12 weeks, I stopped much earlier with my first, immediately regretted it so this time I’m determined to carry on. One question though, I recently went away for a night I took my pump but one boob went extremely engorged, sore, I had pain all down my back and arms, the pump literally did nothing to relieve it (even tho it was filling up with milk) yet when I got back, one long feed and it went back to normal?! Is this a hormonal thing? just strange that all the pumping did nothing to relieve the Engorgement but one feed did.

Being able to calm my DD down no matter what has upset her. Having quiet cuddles. The noise she makes when she latches.

I fed DD till she was 3.5ish... wasn't bothered by anybody's judgement - she was happy/I was happy... (i was back at work but carried on with a 'quicky' before/after) fed 3 of them but the others not so well/so long... did mixed feeding...

Also loved the 'metronome' little arm sweeping rhythmically across my décolletagethe kneading & of my breast whilst feeding/the starfish hand/the gazing into each others eyes💜the stopping and giggling or looking around when someone came into the room or spoke - with me telling them to get on with itthe milk coma and the drops of creamy milk dripping from the corners of their mouths when their head lolled about in stupefactionand co-sleeping in a kind of early-days blur when I couldn't remember how long i'd been feeding but we just got out of bed in the morning after seemingly snoozing forever/the convenience of ANYTIME/ANYWHERE... still miss it three decades later

But yes I had cracked bleeding nipples/latch-ons that made your toes curl/mastitis/milk-soaked clothes from mis-timed/missed feeds (obvs blocked those memories out)

Love love love it. No periods for 18 months! The lush letdown reflex feeling (like being high). The lovely feeling that you are doing something amazing for them. The lovely cute way they get desperate for it if you can't get your boob out quick enough. It's just precious and very very special.

The calm and peace.

Ps I also had mastitis and thrush a lot so appreciate it's not all roses.

Really convenient, bonding with baby, health benefits for baby, help in losing weight and help to tighten my bits up!