Lately it's begin to occur to me that I'm doing some things that are hot topics and full of controversy. I never realized how some of the choices I am making would be so controversial. For instance, co-sleeping. I co-slept with all my kids to some extent. I don't remember with Kylie but Lexie and Sophie would only sleep when they were super tiny if they were cuddled up to me. Sophie I remember well because I actually slept with her in the crook of my arm. I would wake up sweaty and stiff but I HAD SLEPT and that was most important. With breastfeeding Ezra co-sleeping is pretty much mandatory. I don't see how people breastfeed and don't sleep with their babies. I get so much sleep because I feed him in the side lying position (where we both lay down and I stick a boob in his mouth) and we both never wake up good, lol. I mean I'm smart about it. Foy and I have to have separate blankets because if we both pull up our sides then it goes over his head. He sleeps cuddled up to my boob and not near Foy. I am acutely aware of him all night. If he even moves I wake up.
Anyways, I mentioned the co-sleeping to my MIL and she instantly popped back with how dangerous it was. And I said I don't think it is and she said well tell those people going to jail for it in Lufkin. Google it so I don't have to go into it if you don't already know the story. It made national news. Well, I think co-sleeping was unfairly put on trial. I think that there were drugs, unsafe cosleeping habits and perhaps even foul play (as in they did something on purpose) involved. I hate that the trial put co-sleeping on trial. It is getting bad rep when it's good. It's good for the parents and good for the baby. Babies like to be close to their Mama's at night. They like to feel cuddled and protected. Mother's like to be close to their babies. It helps your breast-feeding relationship also. The more you have that baby cuddled up to your boob then the better your milk will come in. I haven't had any problems with milk supply other than mine taking til day 5 to appear.
I honestly want to have more babies just so I can breastfeed them and cloth diaper them. I LOOOOOVE breastfeeding. WHY didn't I do this with my other kids??? Because I wasn't properly educated and supported. Who knew pediatricians knew so little about breastfeeding! I got by with support from a lactation consultant and my online group. They were both indispensable. It's so easy, lol. I just pop a boob in when he's hungry. I am so fascinated with my ability to make freaking milk. I MAKE MILK, I MAKE MILK, I MAKE MILK. I love it. Sometimes when he's eating he'll get fussy and I'll squeeze my nipple to see if he's emptied that boob or what's going on and sometimes it will squirt him in the face and I get thrilled all over again. I make FREAKING MILK. Milk for a human baby. Not cow's milk. I don't make milk for a cow. I make milk that's especially formulated by my freaking body for MY baby. Why would anyone do anything else? I look at him. At all his deliciousness and I feel so proud. I did THIS. I made it (well, it's half my DNA), I incubated it, I grew it and I am sustaining it with fattening booby milk. I effin' kick ass. I was cuddling him and told Foy this and he said, hey I did something. PHEW, are you kidding me? You had sex...once...for a freaking minute. I grew it and I'm feeding it. I AM ROCKIN' THIS. I love how when he hasn't eaten in awhile I will feel uneasy and I can't quit put my finger on why but then he'll wake up and he'll start eating and I'll feel such a feeling of relief and peace just wash over me. It wasn't always this way. Let down has made me itch in the past (weird, but true)...it hurt when he latched on sometimes at the beginning though no bleeding or cracked nipples or stuff people talk about. Even with his tongue tie his latch was never that bad. But now I feel peaceful and relieved when he eats. I feel anxious and full, lol, when he doesn't eat for awhile.
Reasons to breastfeed:
1. You make special formulated milk for your baby. No formula company can compare as a unique mixture as you can. It will change as your baby grows..and as his need changes.
2. You pass antibodies on to your child. THIS IS FANTASTIC. Your kids get a cold, you get one too...your body makes antibodies that you pass on to the baby and he never gets it. That is so....miraculous.
3. Formula has bug parts in it. Yep, that's right folks. You know that chocolate has them right. Well, anything made in a factory does. So fill up that bottle and have some bugs!
4. It's easier. Seriously, when we take a trip I have to gather diapers and wipes and an extra set of clothes...but wait, food, check. It's that easy. It's always there and it's always ready and at the perfect temp. From my body temp straight to his. As it was meant to be.
5. My breast milk is so easily digested by his body. Formula sits in a babies tummy like a rock. That's why they feel full faster and longer..believe me, it is not intended and it is not good. Breastmilk is digested easily and quickly and little is wasted. It is almost impossible for a breastfeed baby to be overweight. My milk is perfectly calculated and his body uses what it needs so easily and passes what it doesn't as easily. Perfect system as intended.
6. My breast milk is full of bacteria. Over 30 kinds. The good bacteria. That is good for him and special to me, him, our house and our family. These bacteria haven't even been fully explored by science. If say, you put your breast milk in a bottle with e.coli (yep, that bad stuff) then my milk will actually REDUCE the e.coli within 2 hours. I can make things healthier with my breast milk! Which brings me to my next point.
7. You can treat things like eye infections, ear infections and sinus infections with breast milk. His little penis got a red tip the other day (turns out it was just irritation and his foreskin doing it's job) and I squired breast milk on it, yes I did. It's great for all sorts of boo boos. Do you know science calls it liquid gold? They actually prescribe it to cancer patients. MY milk does the body good, not a cow's milk.
8. I won't even regal you with tales of the virgin gut of babies or the blood/brain barrier but google that and learn something new.
I am SO happy I am feeding him breast milk and with all my heart I wish I had fed this to my girls BUT not doing it is just something that I have to forgive myself for. I can't dwell on what I didn't do. And I have to change what I know now is not the right thing to the right thing. Know better, do better. I didn't know better and I did what I thought was best. That made me a good parent. But I know NOW what is better and I will do better for my son.
Also, I would like to add. DON'T trust your pediatricians word when it comes to breast feeding (actually don't trust him/her on anything...research it for yourself). They are schooled so little on it. I am always surprised at how little they know about the subject. Breast feeding can be dumbed down to one rule...SUPPLY AND DEMAND. Let that baby suck anytime and all the time and the proper amount of milk will be made JUST FOR HIM..or her.
Also about my hubby. He LOOOVES that I breastfeed. You want to turn a man on? Feed his child with your body. Birth that child with your body. That is sexy. How can they not respect that kind of work and commitment? Foy may not be sexually turned on when I feed our son (it would be seriously creepy if he was) but he is all kinds of in love with me. He brags to strangers about my breastfeeding and our cloth diapering, lol. He thinks I rock...even when he doesn't say so I see the love in his eyes when he looks at our son eating him some milkies. :')
Since this has turned into a long post I will save my INTACT (I have a whole baby!) rant and vaccination rant for another post, haha. Also all my other crunchy thoughts. Hell before I'm done I might not even wear makeup anymore..what what?
