Sharing. From Mommy Mec(Admin) of Breastfeeding Pinay.
Mommies who mix feed or formula feed...
I am reviving an old article I wrote for Rappler, please do read it. Because it is just so tiring to have to keep monitoring posts expressing sentiments of being judged day in and day out, esply now that it's Breastfeeding Month.
Please... It isn't that we breastfeeders do not care about your stories or your feelings. It's just that IT IS NOT OUR FAULT that you did not get, or aren't getting, the right information and support.
Breastfeeding will have its challenges. Others are blessed to have the right info and support from the get go. Others are blessed with ideal circumstances. Still, most do not have those But were just really rabid and creative in finding ways and making ways.
And it is US breastfeeders who aren't stopping so milk companies do not continue fooling you, so that the government and hospitals and employers will back you up. Progress is slow but there has been progress.
And please do not use "times are different now" arguments to excuse or explain your decision to mix or formula feed. Instead, own your choice and live with it. Because for every mother out there who had a preemie and mix/formula fed, there are others who breastfed. For every mom who had mastitis or other conditions and stopped breastfeeding, well there are those who had the same and continued. For every working mom hassled by traffic and commute and leery colleagues that stopped, there are those who persevered. And most working moms lived hand to mouth in terms of supply... Those who can pump bottlefulls are exemptions... And heaven bless them for the times they can donate.
And for every mix feeder or formula feeder who was outrightly judged and made to feel sh!t by a breastfeeder, there are breastfeeders who suffered the same from the hands of a formula feeder. Meanness and lack of compassion isn't the domain of just one camp. But we are trying our best not to have that happen here in BFP.
And breastfeeding success has nothing to do with luck. Please. There is no luck involved in having to pump/express all the time when away from baby. There is no luck involved in suffering through teething and growth spurts and illnesses wherein baby refuses to unlatch. There is no luck involved in having to arrange your life according to feeding schedules. There is no luck involved when you have to stand your ground against husbands, parents or doctors. There is no luck involved in training your baby to go back exclusively to the breast after separation or nipple confusion. Only grit... Determination... And maybe survival instinct.
Mommies... With the right attitude, information and support, you can triumph.
Is that putting pressure on you? Yes. Is that bad pressure though? No. Because again, breastfeeding benefits both you and your baby. You are designed to feed your child. You are designed to benefit from feeding your child. The benefits are long-term. The benefits cannot be replicated by anything else. It is not bad to put that pressure on you because frankly, you alone can do it. It's nobody else's job. Same way that nobody else can birth babies but you.
You might think it unfair but I hope you have a change of perspective instead. When God, Nature or Evolution designated you this role, it also made sure you are repaid by making sure you get protected from diseases that would otherwise take you away from the things and people you love. It is a good bargain, a good exchange deal. This is an opportunity life is presenting you... That you get to be healthier with each child that comes out of you.
But yes, you need support... For systems to be in place to help you. We are working on that. Work with us too.
Please.
Quit reducing breastfeeding (or not having done so) to pure sentiment. It doesn't do anybody any good.
If the moon cared for the wolves howling at it, it may not shine and light the way for travelers... Or inspire romance in lovers.
The same is true for you and us... There will always be people bashing us for choices we make, but so long as we are doing what's right, why be bothered by all that noise?
And breastfeeding will always be right for you and your baby... This generation and the next... Just maybe not as easy or convenient as we'd like.
But again, we are working on that. Work with us too.
Claim your destiny.
http://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/36697-breastfeeding-advocacy-not-an-attack-on-formula-feeding-moms