What is your favorite thing about breastfeeding?

[allisgood1]

I was thinking about this this morning as I'm halfway there with having dc3. My most favorite bit is when they are around 3 months +, come off (shortly after let down, milk spraying everywhere), just to smile at you melts my heart everytime even though we are both getting soaked in breast milk

Next..

So many things I loved. One was the fact that my babies never cried to be fed.
As soon as they wer hungry I had milk at the perfect temperature in a soft warm container. Instantly.

I don't enjoy bf but ds4 has the cutest red faced look when he comes off the boob. Also the little grins while still attached and how useful it is to get them to sleep/when they are hurt/angry

I love how 10mo dd catches a glimpse of them as I dress or bathe and squeals, claps and laughs with glee. sadly they've never had that effect on men.

also, the instant comfort it provides after a bump or during teethy nights.

best if all, being able to consume about 10,000 of cake calories a day and still lose weight.

No faffing with bottles.

Love this thread! I love sitting on the sofa with a nice hot chocolate breastfeeding my son. Its so nice just to stop everything and have that snuggly time. I feel so close to my lo and love the bond we have. As others said I love the milky smiles and they way he rests his hand on my breast. Breast feeding 6 months and hope to keep going until he self weans.

Deep in the woods I think you may have it with the oxytocin as an explanation for the special cuddly feeling I get when breastfeeding. The cuddles when I bottle fed felt less 'close' - there is something very intimate about your body making exactly what your baby wants and needs that gave me such a sense of closeness to my babies.

I can't wait now!!!

I LOVE this thread! I absolutely love breastfeeding. My 12 week old doesn't do the milk drunk fall asleep at the boob thing really any more and I so miss it!

I loved the fact that breastfeeding was a cure-all for so many things - hunger, tiredness, cuts and scrapes, tantrums. I fed DD until she was 2.5 years and I loved the fact that if she was upset in any way I could just latch her on and it'd solve everything!

The way my DS sometimes chuckles his way on to the breast when he is offered it...and then just to see his keen little jaw working away as he drinks. Priceless.

I absolutely love breastfeeding! I honestly can't understand how people manage to cope without it. It solves any problem! Need a few quiet minutes to yourself? Stick them on the boob! Need to wipe their face/ put cream on their face/ pick their nose/ wash shampoo out of their hair/get food out of their hair? Stick them on the boob! Bumped themselves or fallen over? Boob! Want a lie in? Just roll them into bed with you and get a boob out. Need to get them to sleep at night? Boob! Have to check your emails? Stick them on the boob! Hungry or thirsty baby? Boob! Poorly baby? Boob! Stressed or can't get to sleep yourself? Put the baby on the boob and get the oxytocin flowing. Want to relax in the bath? Latch baby on, lie back and relax! Need to keep baby quiet on a flight or train or during a meeting or service? Boob! Want to lure them across the room towards you? Wave a boob at them!

Reading whilst feeding!

No experience of oxytocin, much more likely to feel a rush of love during a cuddle or a smile, or whilst they were sleeping.

The amazing feeling of relief when I was finally able to stop!

I like that I can feed in my sleep. And no washing up or sterilising. And you don't have to take milk or bottles with you when you're out and about. And it's free.

Saying that there are just as many downsides too.

I stopped breastfeeding my 1yr old a little over a week ago and reading this thread is making me feel like crying. There is nothing better than snuggling up to a nice warm baby on a cold night. I loved the way he would stroke my face or twirl his fingers in my hair while feeding.

It's convenient, cheap, easy, means your baby never cries and you have a terrific figure and lots of rest! What's not to like?

The letdown and the relief as the milk was emptied. I got engorged a lot - my supply never settled down properly and even though I stopped breastfeeding several months ago I still leak slightly - and the sensation of going from being so full it would make my teeth itch to completely drained was amazing.

One other thing (can't believe I'm going to write this!). I really enjoyed seeing how far I could squirt my milk . Could get about 12 feet or more

I know it's a rush of oxytocin but for me there is a big difference between a breastfeed cuddle and a bottlefeed cuddle and with each bf I still feel so chuffed I'm able to do it and experience it.
In the early days DD's milky face of bliss was so cute. Now she's 11 months and we're down to just a morning and evening feed and it's the loveliest part of the day. We snuggle down in bed and I get the sweetest smiles as she's sucking away.
I can feel the oxytocin as I write this and I get teary thinking about our daily snuggle time.

In answer to what's not to like, cracked nipples, agonising let down reflex, leaking boobs, baby's scratchy nails grabbing at you as they attempt to latch on, spending 40 mins at a time trying to unsuccessfully latch on, cluster feeding. Longer term it was great, but the first 6 weeks or so was absolute hell both times for me.