I love breastfeeding

[TiffanyDoggett]

I’m hoping to start a happy, gentle breastfeeding chat about the things we all love about breastfeeding. It’s always mentioned on here when things aren’t going right and I’d love to just chat about the happiness and contentment it brings me and my baby.

*This is not a discussion thread about BF vs FF. I’m pro informed choice (when you have a choice) about how you feed your child.

I've never noticed an ear print - I shall have to look out for one.
I didn't manage to breastfeed DS1 and had a tricky first 10 weeks or so with DS2 but now it's fairly easy and usually pain-free. I'm not sure I love it but I do like how convenient it is. With formula feeding you can't just offer a bottle every time they cry or fuss because you'd end up overfeeding them, so you spend a lot more time trying to find other ways to settle them. I also love the eye contact and the milk-drunk faces, but that is the same however you are feeding them.

What a lovely thread - my favourite breastfeeding memory (apart from the newborn milk drunk face) is picking up a panicking toddler with a nosebleed, blood everywhere, put her on and... silence. She took a few minutes to calm down fully, and it was pretty messy, but it was just such an instant relief to her (and to me!).

wine yes, took a very scared baby to a&e and she was so calm thanks to the magic of breastfeeding. The doctors commented on it - it made their jobs so much easier when examining her too! (she's fine now)

@verbena87 there is a lot of research showing the mental health benefits. I am sadddened when women say they give up because the struggle was too much, or it was bad for their sanity etc. because the evidence is that sticking with it leaves you better off. Women need better support to make it more possible.

@sengah that’s interesting to know. Women do need better support I think; when my Spanish SIL returned to work, she was able to take breaks during the day to go home and breastfeed, for example.

:(

DS is 7 months old and I stopped breastfeeding at 4 months. He will be our last baby and this thread has given me a real pang, it’s hit me that I will never do it again (unless we win the lottery!)

It’s a lovely experience, very warm and comforting for both of you. Especially when they are so little that the absolute best thing in their life is being snuggled up feeding.

The way that they still make little sucking movements with their mouths every so often in their sleep

I love the little noises she makes, and the feeling of her warm little body against me as she feeds to sleep.
I'm only 6 weeks in with DD2 so hardly the greatest success story ever but I do love it. On a selfish note it's been a really empowering experience and has helped me trust my body again. I formula fed DD1 - various physical and mental reasons which I won't derail the thread with, but the whole birth and feeding experience left me quite low and I feel that DD2s birth.and establishing bf, even for a short while, has been quite healing.

Girl I found the first 6 weeks the hardest with both my two, a lot of people do, I think, so it IS a big success story getting this far. It got easier for me after 6 weeks (well as far as bf was concerned at least!). I too love the cuddles and noises, even 1 year (or so) on!

@Ratbagratty that's a great idea. You should do it!

@Girlwiththearabstrap 6 weeks is a great success story. Don't be hard on yourself. The first 6 weeks are the hardest with breastfeeding

First baby, had undiagnosed tongue tie, spent 3 days in hospital as she couldn't feed, hadnt a clue what we were doing, used nipple shields for 3 months, but never gave up.
Still feeding morning and bedtime at one year. Daddy puts her into her sleeping bag at bedtime while I settle into the nursing chair, and when he brings her in she gives this little laugh every time and a big toothy grin. Makes my heart melt. So proud of us x

What a lovely thread! I loved breastfeeding once I got past those tricky first few weeks. Ended up breastfeeding much longer than I thought I would but my daughter was keen to keep going. Finally stopped just before she turned 3. She still talks about it now - sure she would have carried on much longer!

It was such a comfort to her.

I BF both of my DC for just over 12 months each. When they were babies things werent great, I was let down by people who really should have been there for me. The happy memories I have of those days are all BF. Once I'd established a milk supply and gotten over those painful first few feeds it really was a relaxing experience. I'd sit out in the garden and just enjoy being left at peace. It was lovely watching the babies get 'milk drunk' and inevitably fall asleep. It was also empowering and made me more assertive because it was one thing I enjoyed and was proud of so when the pressure was put on to FF I had no hesitation to tell people where to go. The whole experience changed me as a person.

Although this is a lovely thread, it is making me sad. Our baby is 11 weeks old and has always been mixed fed (I used to only give. A bottle when really really struggling with BF at first.) now, I love BF and baby is starting to refuse/ not settle with boob. Just wants a bottle, and I struggle to express, so they are having lots of formula.

Any tips to increase supply would be great! Baby hates skin on skin, so can’t do that anymore! Hopefully your nice stories will give me inspiration!

Our baby was conceived through ivf. When I BF I feel so so close to her. I can just see how relaxed she used to be! (Not anymore..) and appreciate her so much xx

In my early hard breastfeeding days a poster here wrote the most beautiful paragraph about breastfeeding. I think it was on a thread about benefits of bf. She wrote
You are all (baby) has known
The outside world is bright and scary
breastfeeding is a little piece of home

Every feed I cried recalled this. It really helped me persevere in the early hard days.

Thank you to that poster

(YY to DH getting off the hook yet again for night feeds )