"Breastfeeding is Hard" well it can be but come and tell me the bits you loved.

[Ineedsomesleep]

I think if I was a Mum-to-Be I'd be totally put off bfing at the moment reading the threads on here including people often referring to bfing as being hard.

Well it can be, it was for me for the first few weeks with DC1 but then it got much, much easier.

Some of the things I loved were:

Feeding him when I got home from work - such a lovely time to reconnect and forget about my day.

Not having to go out and buy formula.

Not having to take bottles etc out with me - I'm really forgetful and a bit lazy.

If they did wake in the night I could feed them and be back asleep within 15 mins thanks to the lovely oxytocin.

It kept my weight down.

So come and share your good bits.

And his eyes light up the moment he sees me unhook the bra.

I'm BFing my toddler and I love all of what previous posters have said plus the fact that he calls them his 'pilkies' and understands that my 'popples' are sometimes sore now that I am pregnant. Whe he is upset he wants a feed and looks so happy and content that his eyes roll in his head. He puts his hand down my top when they are cold and kisses my chest when he comes for a cuddle.

I just love it so much and hope that he will continue to want his 'pilkies' after the baby is born as I'm sure it will help with any jealousy issues to still have a piece of me that is familiar and comforting.

DD gently resting her hand on my breast as she feeds

The contented little sigh she does when finished and full

Knowing that I can instantly comfort her if she's upset

First two weeks were really hard (difficulty latching, had to express for first week etc), so glad I stayed with it

giggling and then reattaching back on. i know i should keep it serious and let them feed, but i love(d) making both my ds's laugh whilst they were feeding. then i complain when they get distracted and don't feed

that little coughy noise when they realise they are about to be fed.

as well as all of the practical benefits everyone has said.

The smiling whilst eating, the down right rude noises, which made me believe a dirty great navvy was tucking into my boobs... This does make public feeding a bit odd! The sheer enjoyment in every inch of her body at the sight or offer of milk from me, her amazing weight gain from just me when everyone I know ff's... This always amazes me, that I never see what she gets but she is blooming, and I think my favourite thing is the cute things she does with her hands mid feed, playing with them in great enjoyment or stroking my hands and boob :o)

Oh and selfishly, proving the formula generation that went before us wrong, only I can feed my baby rather than handing her round the gp's (mil) like a baby doll, nothing grated the woman more than my determination to breastfeed, as it can't be possible in her mind to be all my daughter needs, ill stop there!

Oh, so many things

I do remember ds1 went through a phase of signing "happy" any time he was nursing

The practicalities are brilliant. And I still love feeding my toddler, especially when he says "Mook please" and then laughs like a loon happily when I say yes

DS chuckleing when a fast let let down gets him in the face (I have been known to squirt him to get the same reaction)

I never had any problems (thouch wood) and agree it's important to get a balance of info about the pleasures and possible problems and solutions

Natch you rarely hear about those of us who experience no difficulties but we do exist

Heading off on a long haul flight when ds was 5m, getting severely delayed and not worrying at all about ds, milk, bottles, money etc because it was all in my top!

Feeling amazed that I was all he needed and that I had made that great big baby. Aw. I had difficulties but agree that it's so important to hear about the good bits too.

Once over the terribly sore nipples of ds's first three weeks, I loved it.
It was wonderful not having to hand him over to mil who couldn't wait to grab him, it was such a luxury to have all that fabulous time together so close. It's one of the real pleasures of my life and I'm very glad my stridently pro bf mother and sister got me through the hell of ds's bf first three weeks. Of course bottle fed babies have that time and specialness too! I only mean it felt selfish on my part and I loved it, it was like he was all mine and no snatching.
Without massive encouragement I would never have got through it!

I love counting how many chins ds2 has and looking at his lovely chubby cheeks and knowing that every ounce of fat on his lovely cuddly body has come from my milk

Love their teeny tiny hand stroking my boob, so cute.

Love the look of panic I when take her off boobie1 to put her on boobie2, utter panic, like she may never get boobie again and then the sigh of content when she is reattached to the new boob, panic over.

Love taking them to be weighed and knowing that all the hours feeding are paying off and they are thriving and growing.

That I've done it all on my own, no sister/mum/aunty to help, no outside encouragement, just sheer determination. Feel v proud actually, despite people asking me when I'm going to 'get her on a bottle'.

Being able to eat an entire cheesecake in one go, knowing that the fat will be sucked straight out of my body before it has a chance to settle anywhere

Marbroon - awww (and I actually said that out loud as I read your post)

TBH all of these posts are bringing tears to my eyes, sleep deprived soppy woman i am!

Mixed views on this one! I am one of the ones who has been posting about problems, and boy have I had them BF both of my kids. But.....yes, there are fab, fab things which is why I am so determined to keep going:

NO formula, bottle-washing, being able to go to the pub spontaneously if you feel like it and not worrying about not having the 'kit' with you.

The closeness and relaxed bliss on your baby's face after a feed (well, in my babies' cases, this came/ will come later when their reflux improved. improves, but still.....)

Travel is about a million times easier when BF is established.

There is always a good way to soothe your DCs when they are distraught.

Ohhhh, many more. But they are the ones that immediately spring to mind.

Fantastic for a baby emtionally to be snuggled up feeding

The usual health benefits for baby and mum

It's so easy when you get going

You can eat masses of cake & chocolate and still have calories left for a normal healthy diet

Good excuse for some quiet time 'I can't feed here, it's too noisy, I must just go and feed read Mumsnet in the study'

Not hard for me.

In particular I loved:

The freedom to travel, the spontaneity, the (lack of) cost and preparation, the closeness to DD, the magical calming effect, the non-smelly EBF poo, eating like a horse, BFing while co-sleeping and getting a goodnight's sleep etc..

So many more positives than negatives (e.g. toddler boob pinching!).

I always loved the early morning feeds when dd2 was a bit older - when she was about 2-ish she would creep into bed at about 6am and we would have a lovely sleepy feed and it was nice having a just the two of us moment.

I am currently feeding dd3 and it has been a bit of a struggle because she has reflux - some feeds have been real battles with all the arching and pulling on and off - but every now and again we have a calm, peaceful feed (usually when the others are at school/work) with not other pressures and it's just lovely to get so snuggly together.

The other thing I love about BF is that excited laugh they do just before they latch on, it's almost frantic and the lovely blissed out drunk look they get when they've finished.

I could go on and on because there are so many things I love / have loved about BF.

Oh the 'I see boob' laugh! it's almost a growl from DS - so amazingly adorable, particularly when he's fussing in the night and I lie there thinking "go on, go back to sleep. Go ON!" and then eventually (well, after about 30 seconds, cos I'm a soft touch" I grab him and pull him next to me and he sees me move my pjs and does this purr/growl with a big grin as he lunges like a mad thing towards the nipple...
Then as he feeds, the first minute or two, these little contented 'aaaah' sounds come out of his nose. It's so lovely being able to make him that happy. I can't talk to him yet, but I can stroke his little head while he slurps away contentedly and know that he feels loved :)

Oh I had forgotten about that noise - the I see boob laugh. It was more like a kind of frantic happy panting from my DD1. It always made us laugh too as parents.

Love it when they've been frantically feeding, acting like they were starved, then suddenly they slow down, give a huge milky grin and almost fall off the boob

Also love it when they're so blissed out by feeding that they can barely keep their eyes open

And nothing beats the utter joy and serenity of a baby drunk on breastmilk

(and that's after battling stubborn, ruthless thrush with both dc)

Also, have just started expressing to save up some milk so I can have an evening out and the "cream" that sticks to the sides of the milk storage bags amazes me - looks like extra thick double cream! No wonder ds is so lovely and chubby!

DS pulls a special intense 'I'm going to feed' face, gasps and kicks one leg madly. Then when he latches on he makes the 'aaah' noises and relaxes. Its the sweetest thing ever.

dd twisting my hair and looking into my eyes. sometimes grinning with milk dripping down.

Never having to worry about whether he's really hungry - I just offer.

Never having to worry about how much he is/isn't taking.

Being able to get him to sleep (often the only way he'll sleep).

Being able to calm him down when he's upset.

Soothing his teething pain.

Helping him relax enough to pass the wind which was keeping him awake. (!)

Giving him antibodies so he's been less ill than all the ff babies I know.

Night feeds, especially when he unlatches himself and rolls over and contentedly goes to sleep. Being able to sleep through feeds in the early days.

Raspberry blowing while feeding.

Milky chuckles on the breast.

And of course, it being free / quick / portable / hygienic etc.

I love it, even on the days when it feels like less fun.