positive things about bf the hv never mention

[charitas]

`this is a lighthearted but hopefully inspiring thread about why sticking with it was great for me a least. Any spelling mistakes are thr fault of the small wrigglt thing sat on my knee.

You can do it lying down with your eyes closed

You can feed your basbe to sleep, no baby book experts this is not a bad thing it is a bloody wonderful thing.

When illness/injection grumpiness strikes you can comfort feed and dp will uncomplainingly makr tea

Breastfeeding makes you sleepy facillitating falling back asleep easily when awoken at ungodly hours

you can do it anywhere
you get lovely cuddles
you don't have to be organised

I always get a very 'happy' feeling when I breast feed - almost like that first sip of wine.

It's great if you're bone idle like me and can't be faffed to make up bottles

once you get the hang of it it only takes one hand (and when child is small can be done onehanded walking about, making breakfast etc) so you can read / eat / MN at the same time

you never run out and need to make a 3am Tesco dash

you never get pissed off that you've (eg) made up a 7oz bottle, they've drunk half and appeared finished, you've thrown the rest away and 10min later they are hungry again.

your boobs never explode covering the kitchen in sticky powder

and they don't smell of fish

You can do it one handed, or no-handed if you have a sling.

You can do it in your sleep.

In some cases you can pile on the cake and still loose weight!

You can sort out whatever problem the baby has (unless serious of course) just by getting your boob out. Whatever is causing them upset will be immediately forgotten.

you lose weight mega fast
only you can do it - FAB
Great boobs (yes, thanks BF!! i now have some boobs)
Sunday morning lie ins - my favourite thing. Lying in bed, with my baby girl feeding, she smells beautiful and i can hear her swallowing - so priceless.
Husband thinks im even more special now i grew her AND feed her
No prep time
No money
Cuddle time
Ability to soothe them, no matter what

you can ward off boring people by legitimately waving your boobs in their face.

I agree it saves on money.

you can feed through their hearing test /nail cutting/injections/other nasty stuff
DS used to feed with his eyes going from side to side as if making sure no one was coming to take it away

you can wear beautiful and figure flattering bf bras
oh hang on...sorry

I am still waiting to be able to feed one handed after eight months!!

On a more positive note, it gives you an excellent reason to reclaim your baby from relatives who would not relinquish them otherwise.

It gives you a lovely seratonin boost afterwards.

It makes you relax and enjoy your baby instead of rushing around trying to get back to normal straight away. And you dp has to make you cups of tea.

It makes you feel proud of your body and what it can do.

Anyfule, have you tried the so-called Australian hold?
At 8m I'm guessing ds can sit up alone (thus freeing one hand), and I'm not sure you'd need to grab your boob like that either - possible handsfree bf!

it makes you very hungry but it's ok to eat LOTS

MrsBadger thanks so much! I will try this tomorrow. I want to read a book while bfing, really hope it works

gives you an excuse to log on to mumsnet in the middle of the night

forces you to slow down and take regular breaks

You don't have to remember how often you've fed your baby or how much they've had.

You can stop them crying/make them sleep/get them to eat something even when they're sick - with your boobs. Magic!

You can be a slobby pig in the kitchen and not have to worry about poisoning your baby with your bad hygiene. In fact later on, bad hygiene plus extended bf can be claimed as deliberate tactic for producing children with cast iron guts (not one of my three has ever had a single episode of the squitters).

Your children love your breasts, long after they've finished breastfeeding they still want to rest their heads on them and nuzzle your cleavage.

You feel proud of yourself.

The sense of achievement from the knowledge that you have given your baby the best possible start in life.
LOL at StealthPolarBear. My thoughts exactly!

oh yes, I forgot about the complete lack of concern about how many ounces he had, why did he only have 6 tonight when he had 8 last night...one of my friends said she didn't want to bf because she didn;t know how mcuh the baby would be having, I said IMO that was the perfect reason - obv you need to keep an eye on whether they're havng enough but without the neuroses. You can save that for weaning, like I have

it gives you a great excuse to sit down and watch telly/read a book/chat on the phone a lot during the day

You have an excuse not to share your baby - you are indispensable. (I realise some people might see this as a bad thing...)

you can wash his feet with the other nipple while you're feeding him
ok, clutching at straws now!

You can give biology lessons to fascinated older siblings.

If you're normally an insomniac you might sleep better than you have done for years.

If you're normally moody you might find you're more emotionally stable than normal.