Questions for moms..........

MIDWESTDIVA · #1 11-06-2000, 08:59 PM

......and future moms.

How do you all feel about breastfeeding? Has anyone here done it or decided against it? Why or why not?

For some reason, most African American women choose not to. There are some very good reasons why we should.

Breast fed babies suffer fewer illnesses such as diarrhea, earache, pneumonia and other infections. Studies suggest breast fed babies may also be less likely to develop asthma, diabetes or childhood cancer. Their brains seem to develop faster, their immune systems respond better to vaccines and they are less likely to become overweight in childhood.

Mothers benefit too, by shedding pregnancy pounds faster. Long term breast feeding may lower some women's risk of getting breast cancer. Not to mention it's cheap.

-Lauran Neergaard-The Associated Press

[This message has been edited by MIDWESTDIVA (edited November 07, 2000).]

Teresa2000 · #2 11-06-2000, 09:53 PM

I know that this is supposed to be a question for Moms, but my mother, who is an OB-GYN told me that a lot of women don't breastfeed today because it is too inconvenient for the average working woman. Especially if she has to go back to working a full time job 4-6 weeks after she has her baby. Plus, a lot of women find it painful at first and as a result do not continue.

-Teresa

Miss. Mocha · #3 11-07-2000, 09:58 AM

I chose not to breastfeed because I was not comfortable with the thought. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful ob/gyn who was supportive of my decision, and didn't try to pressure me. She actually told me that if I was that uncomfortable (alomst hyperventilating), it was best that I not do it, because the babies take their cues from us.

My daughter was/is healthy. I am proud to say that my daughter never had one (no, not one) ear infection in her life, and she is now 5. My bestfriend's children (who were all breastfed) have had numerous ear infections.

I think that breastfeeding is a very personal choice that only the mom can make for herself. However, if I have another child, I plan to attempt the "breastfeeding thing" for at least a few months. I want to see how it goes.

straightBOS · #4 11-07-2000, 12:23 PM

Breastfeed your babies.
Thats my opinion. I was not Breastfed (oh that cursed Infamil) but my older brother was.

Although I can't prove it, I think that the reason why I seem to be more succeptable to colds and flus is because I didn't get that "wall of protection" from the start.

I could be wrong, but its a great guilt-trip for moms.

MIDWESTDIVA · #5 11-07-2000, 03:33 PM

Miss Mocha,

I'm not trying to be facetious at all, really. I'm just curious about this hyperventilation thing. Do you hyperventilate when you become nervous in general or was it strictly due to the thought of breastfeeding? I realize this is a personal question and I do understand if you choose not to answer.

Tinese · #6 11-07-2000, 05:09 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by MIDWESTDIVA:
[B]......and future moms.

How do you all feel about breastfeeding? Has anyone here done it or decided against it? Why or why not?

Hi everyone! I had breast fed my son for those various reasons as stated above and felt that it was more easier to do so than preparing bottles. You don't have to worry about taking bottles and heating them up once you get to your destination. All you have to do is go to a quite area with a blanket over your shoulder and baby underneath (discretion is everything)and nurse them. For mothers who work you can pump your breast for milk and bottle it for your baby to eat during the day.

kisses and kanes
Tinese
pikachu
SGRHO

PrettySqueaky · #7 11-07-2000, 08:44 PM

Well I didn't breastfeed my son. Actually, there is a huge controversy over "the breast is best." Breast milk is only best because it gives the mothers immunity to the child...Meaning it helps the child develop antibodies and etc that the mother has built up.

But on the other hand...Sometimes mothers aren't so healthy...Such as aids and etc that don't make breast milk a good choice.

But the whole deal about children being smarter and etc. The only thing that formula doesn't contain besides the mother antibodies is fatty acids.

And by the time children come to age two or three...studies show that breastfeed babies aren't smarter than formula feed babies. Which knocks that whole hypothesis that breastfeed babies are smarter.

But someone mentioned something about working. Are you a man? Just wondering, if not there's no reason why you haven't heard of a breastpump is it? Seriously, I'm not trying to be funny. Because little man's dad never heard of a pump either. A working mother can pump her milk at work, home, driving the car and etc and store it in the fridge. Also, did you know that you can freeze breast milk for a couple of months.

I considered at one point trying to breast feed my son. But he was traumatized at birth...I was in labor for 26hrs w/ no painkillers. Anyways, I was expecting pain like on tv you know like somebody ripping your insides out. So I wasn't calling the nurses every minute on the minute like most people. Well I had to have an emergency c-section because the contractions were so severe that they caused his heart to stop. My point is when he was born he didn't want to suck. So it took him like a week to suck...So he was on special formula and they had to see how much milk he was getting.

Besides that milk hurts...That's the only thing about pregnancy and labor that bothered me was that milk. Before I got pregnant I was a 34B when the milk came in I was 40DD it took a while for my breast to get down to 36C.

Oh yeah they say breastmilk helps you lose weight faster...But not that much. I know some people that getter bigger because they claim they have to eat more for the baby.

Miss. Mocha · #8 11-08-2000, 09:56 AM

MIDWESTDIVA,

Sorry to throw you for a loop like, Boo. I was exaggerating.

The thought of breastfeeding did make me really nervous, though. I don't know why, it just freaked me out. Well, actually I do know why, because I'm well endowed and started to develope breast at like, age 9, and people (read: MEN)have always been preoccupied with my breast, which has served to make me VERY self conscience about them myself. So, I truly wasn't emotionally ready to deal with the thought of using them as sustainance for a child. I had spent the majority of my life trying to hide and camoflouge (sp) them, and I felt like if I breastfed, I would be expected to regale them. I didn't.

However, I have grown (literally, and figuratively) since I've had my daughter, so I'm a lot more comfortable with the idea of breastfeeding, but supplementing with the bottle...especially in public.

Oh yeah, and about the weight loss thing. I don't know who these people are polling, but within my daughter's first year of life, I lost well over 70lbs. As Ms. Dupree would say, "I got high school skinny." I actually lost more than I had gained. ...just a thought.

MIDWESTDIVA · #9 11-08-2000, 06:51 PM

[b][QUOTE]Originally posted by Miss. Mocha:
MIDWESTDIVA,

Sorry to throw you for a loop like, Boo. I was exaggerating.

Whew! Sighing a breath of relief. Thank you for clarifying Miss Mocha.

BlueReign · #10 11-13-2000, 01:46 AM

Hey Pretty Squeaky, I know what you mean about the big boob thing. I finally had some breast for once in my life!! I wanted to flaunt them but they hurt too much!!. Anyway I breastfed my first because I wanted to try it and if it wasn't for a nurse who helped me I wouldn't have done it. It was extremely painful and my son was gettig frustrated with me. I did not breastfeed my second child because I didn't plan to be home for long. Besides I had them a year a apart and I JUST WANTED MY BODY BACK!!. My third child I breastfed up to 10 months, supplemented with a bottle after she was 4 months. My point is I don't see any difference in their intelligence or the amount of infections they have had. I don't think breastfeeding causes you to lose weight. I was actually ate more than when I was pregnant because I was hungry all the time. It just helps your uterus shrink but to me that is about all. I actually gained more weight simply because I was at home and wasn't out working.

blu_theatrics · #11 11-15-2000, 11:47 PM

I breastfed for three months, but I was still in high school and it got terrible waiting those 7 hours to feed and my body really just kept the milk coming. By last hour, I couldn't even fit the bra I had on.

But if I have another child, I plan on it.

First it was very easy to do, once you get the hange of it and it noight it is so much easier than warming and fixing a bottle. Plus it gives you time to just fill close to your child in my opinion. It also helps biuld his immunity through your milk, and the best reason is you might not menstrate at all why you breastfeed....yaaaaaaaaaaah

But I do have streach marks galore on my breasts now , I went up two cup sizes after pregnancy

MIDWESTDIVA · #12 11-15-2000, 11:51 PM

I plan to do it, whenever I have children. It has many benefits but I also think it's a bonding experience that can't be duplicated.

PrettySqueaky · #13 11-17-2000, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MIDWESTDIVA:
I plan to do it, whenever I have children. It has many benefits but I also think it's a bonding experience that can't be duplicated.

Actually you're wrong. Just holding a child close to your heart and letting them hear your voice is an excellent bonding experience. I'm saying what do you think about the fathers that bottle feed their children? That's a bonding experience.

Basically, this whole breast feeding versus bottle feeding is a bunch of (Fill in the blank.) The main thing you should be worrying about is the first three years. The first years are the most important years of a child's life. This is where their brains develop the most. How you treat them those first years will affect them for the rest of their lives.

Don't believe me check it out. I don't remember the exact website. But I think it's under excite parents-the first years. Or search http://www.google.com or http://www.askjeeves.com for "I am your child. The first years campaign."

MIDWESTDIVA · #14 11-17-2000, 09:20 PM

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PrettySqueaky:
Actually you're wrong. Just holding a child close to your heart and letting them hear your voice is an excellent bonding experience. I'm saying what do you think about the fathers that bottle feed their children? That's a bonding experience.

You're right. Fathers that bottle feed are bonding with their children as well. If any of my family or friends bottle feed and talk to my future children I guess they will be bonding too. However, the only person that will breastfeed my future children is me. So for that reason, I think that breastfeeding is an experience that cannot be duplicated.

blu_theatrics · #15 11-22-2000, 08:55 PM

Quote:

You're right. Fathers that bottle feed are bonding with their children as well. If any of my family or friends bottle feed and talk to my future children I guess they will be bonding too. However, the only person that will breastfeed my future children is me. So for that reason, I think that breastfeeding is an experience that cannot be duplicated.

I feel the same way and i don't think that this is something that can be argueed about. Different people feel different ways and didfferent people have different experiences.
I can't imagine not having had breastfed my son, while some might now be able to imagine ever doing it, to each their own the bottom line is LOVE