Myths about Breastfeeding

Shh, Mommy!!

So, I might be getting on a soap box here but I want everyone to be educated and know that if they want to nurse their baby, they can! 


Yesterday, I was at a Beth Moore Woman's Conference and was able to speak to a lady that really inspired me.  The conference was about 8 hours long and since I'm still nursing Tommy I had to bring my pump.  When I first brought all of my stuff into the fellowship hall, I apologized for the 3 bags I was carrying. Lisa was very understanding and told me a story about breastfeeding her son.  


Lisa, a lady with two kids, said that she breastfed her son for over a year.  In these days, that is amazing! She also told me that her son would not take anything but the breast until after 9 months.  Since "most" babies are suppose to start accepting food between 4 and 6 months, she had to take him to occupational therapy.  Lisa continued to nurse her son every 2 hours while he was in occupational therapy.  I want to thank God for putting Lisa next to me today. She was a great inspiration!


A few nights ago, I was on Facebook and an ad appeared.  I never click on the side adds but this particular one caught my attention.  The ad was on the top 5 myths about breastfeeding.  When I read through the list, it amazed me how each and every one was brought up while I was still pregnant.  


A lot of people believe that they can't breastfeed for some odd reason.  Though, it is true there are people that can't because of medical reasons, it is less likely that someone can't breastfeed because of a lack of milk.  When a mother decides to nurse, they must be 100% sure and have support from everyone.  Feeding your baby formula is easier and when you are exhausted from the birthing process, you mind find yourself thinking about using formula. One thing that I did when I went to the hospital with Tommy was make a birth plan.    In my plan, I made it clear that I did not want to supplement with formula, period.  Having written it down, it made me try so much harder to make sure Tommy was getting enough to eat. 


The Facebook ad that I read matched up with the research that Tom and I did when we decided to breastfeed Tommy.  I thought I would share the 5 myths that have been noted to be false. I got these from cafemom.com


1.) Since my baby was a preemie, I had to supplement with a special formula for the 6 weeks he could get phosphates he missed in the utero. 
           -- False, your body will adapt your milk supply to match your baby. What an amazing God we have!!
2.) No matter how long I waited in between feedings, my breast didn't fill up.
           -- Your breast do not have to be engorged to be producing milk. Consider yourself lucky if you do  not get engorged breasts.
3.) Unless you eat really healthy, breast milk is no better than formula.
           -- False. Again, what a wonderful God we have because our diets effect us and not the baby. Our bodies will use our stored nutrients for baby. 
4.) My baby is allergic to my breast-milk.
           -- Negative! Your baby can't be allergic to your breast-milk.  He might be allergic to something that you eat.  It can be as easy as switching from cow's milk to soy milk. I will blog about our decision to drink soy milk later. 
5.) I had to supplement until my supply came in since it took 5 days.
           -- False. Your body will provide the amount of milk that your baby needs!


For more on the 5 myths you can see this link: http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/108659/5_breastfeeding_myths_you_probably?utm_medium=om&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=CPC&utm_content=thestir_breastfeedingmyths 
Also, I would be more than happy to answer any question you may have. 


Sorry that I went off on my soap box. Tomorrow I will blog about Tommy again. We are going to the Farmer's Market to get fresh fruits and veggies!


Love, 
T