Hello girlies,
I don't post very often but I could do with some support from this wonderful forum. DD, my first, is now five months old and I am getting on really well with breastfeeding now after some initial battles with large boobs, small nipples that point outwards (never noticed until I tried to feed a small person with them!), lots of pain in the first few weeks, mastitis, and a baba with a slight tongue tie. I was committed to BF, though, cos me and DH both have proper allergies to nuts and some other foods, as well as the full range of mild ezcema, asthma, and hayfever between us and all the guidance I have had/read says six months exclusive BF is the way to go. I'm really happy BF but all my peers/friends are now bottle feeding baby for various reasons, not always through choice, and I feel really lonely! I have a couple of friends who BFs their babies till a year old, but they were demand-fed babies and we're on a baby whisperer routine, so I feel a bit between two camps and I don't feel I have anyone to talk to or much support. I feel I have to justify still BFing DD to everyone, including DH, who I think understands why this is the best thing for DD at the moment, but still mutters about bottles and formula sometimes, and I feel a little uncomfortable whipping a boob out even in the company of friends because no-one else is. I am committed to continuing BFing until DD is a year old, since it seems pointless to switch to formula for a matter of weeks when she will be dropping feeds after we introduce solids anyway, but I could really do with some messages of support. I never expected to get to the stage when I was enjoying BFing, and I also never expected to feel under pressure to give up!
Thanks for reading.
Pinchy xxx