View Poll Results: What are your views on breastfeeding during a child's first 12 months?

Voters
301. You may not vote on this poll
  • I have/would exclusively breastfeed

    200 66.45%
  • I have/would breastfeed and supplement with soy formula

    56 18.60%
  • I have/would breastfeed and supplement with dairy formula

    6 1.99%
  • I have/would feed soy formula

    14 4.65%
  • I have would/feed dairy formula

    3 1.00%
  • I don't have/would never have children

    68 22.59%
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Thread: Feelings on breastfeeding

  1. #151
    not2ez2bgreen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    I breastfed my daughter, and her "allergy" to my milk was actually the thing that led me to switch from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet. She was actually allergic to the milk and egg proteins in my milk, and when I stopped consuming them, she was just fine. Still breast feeding 16 months later!

    I am so thankful that she was allergic to these "foods" because I am the type of person to dive into things whole hearted. I read as many books, and websites I could dig up, and found so much information I might never have sought out. Our family is so much the better, health wise, enviromentally, and ethically for becoming vegan. lol

  2. #152
    Kimberlily1983
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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    Quote not2ez2bgreen View Post
    I breastfed my daughter, and her "allergy" to my milk was actually the thing that led me to switch from a vegetarian diet to a vegan diet. She was actually allergic to the milk and egg proteins in my milk, and when I stopped consuming them, she was just fine. Still breast feeding 16 months later!

    I am so thankful that she was allergic to these "foods" because I am the type of person to dive into things whole hearted. I read as many books, and websites I could dig up, and found so much information I might never have sought out. Our family is so much the better, health wise, enviromentally, and ethically for becoming vegan. lol
    That's awesome! I have a feeling most mothers wouldn't explore eliminating things to the extent you did, would just settle for "oh, guess I can't breast-feed then".

    Dairy is a pretty scary thing: I was reading about how it can cause slight, chronic bleeding in the intestines (children are particularly susceptible), increasing the odds of iron deficiency, etc... For me, avoiding animal products is entirely about animal rights, but knowing what I know now about dairy, and other things, there's no way I'd be putting that in my children's bodies!

  3. #153

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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    I agree that dairy is a scary thing and there would be no way I would let my daughter eat it. I find the marketing of dairy to be totally outrageous. IMO its like putting poison in your children's bodies.

  4. #154
    Kimberlily1983
    Guest

    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    Quote VeganZee View Post
    IMO its like putting poison in your children's bodies.
    Yeah, I have to say I agree. It's obviously not poison in the sense that anyone's going to drop dead on the spot from drinking/eating it, but it definitely seems to have more detrimental effects than positive; it seems to be a substance that slowly makes many people ill... I know dairy is what was keeping me chronically iron deficient when I was vegetarian, and now that I'm vegan, that problem is long gone.

  5. #155
    christinels's Avatar
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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    Interesting thread (including how it's enduring over the YEARS).

    I'd hope to breastfeed. My mother and I both are lactose intolerant, I have every reason to believe my children would be too. So if I need to supplement, I'd do it with soy formula.

    My mother had to breastfeed and at the same time supplement formula because I was not gaining enough weight, despite eating all the time. My husband was "failure to thrive" as far as gaining weight as an infant, despite also suckling all the time. I'm thinking if we both were that way, there is a high likelihood that breast milk may not be sufficient on its own for our children. But I really hope that's not the case!

  6. #156

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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    Quote christinels View Post
    Interesting thread (including how it's enduring over the YEARS).

    I'd hope to breastfeed. My mother and I both are lactose intolerant, I have every reason to believe my children would be too. So if I need to supplement, I'd do it with soy formula.

    My mother had to breastfeed and at the same time supplement formula because I was not gaining enough weight, despite eating all the time. My husband was "failure to thrive" as far as gaining weight as an infant, despite also suckling all the time. I'm thinking if we both were that way, there is a high likelihood that breast milk may not be sufficient on its own for our children. But I really hope that's not the case!
    Hi Christinels

    if/when you are feeding your baby and are worried about him/her not getting enough from you, please get advice from a specialist breastfeeding counsellor before starting to supplement. Many midwifes do not know enough about BFing (certainly here UK) as it is sadly still not the norm and is inadequately covered in their training.
    When you give a baby supplements it decreases the baby's need to feed, so it suckles less, gives the mother less breast stimulation which in turn leads to a lessened milk supply.

    There are other ways to boost your own supply but it so helps to talk to an expert. La Leche have very well trained counsellors who help anyone for free.

    I had some difficulties feeding my daughter at the start which turned out to be a positioning problem, I was helped by a BF counsellor from the National Childbirth Trust who became a friend. Another friend was a BF counsellor from La Leche, I have seen some of the training both organisations provide, so much more than what midwives get.

    Here is the USA La Leche page with details of their toll free telephone line

    http://www.lllusa.org/helpline.php

  7. #157
    upior's Avatar
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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    Gattona is right. You can often hear that you do not have enough milk or that your milk is not sufficient for your baby and even this can be the truth there are natural ways to improve the supply and the quality of milk. La Leche is always a very good source of information, here is the link for UK http://www.laleche.org.uk/

  8. #158

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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    I was omni when I had my son, but I fully intended to breastfeed until he was at least 6 months old. However, we came across a battery of problems: I had an exceptionally forceful letdown and a breastmilk oversupply, which meant he choked every time I fed him; he had acid reflux, which meant what little milk he managed to ingest he promptly vomited up; it was so difficult to feed him that he ended up hospitalised through dehydration; I had so much milk that I was at constant risk of mastitis; etc etc.

    The midwives were terrible. They had never heard of a 'breastmilk oversupply', so their reaction was, 'It's better to have too much than too little!' They wanted to keep my son directly on the breast no matter what the cost, but I've got to be honest: my son's health was suffering, he was in agony with his reflux (which was worsened by how fast the breastmilk gushed into his stomach), and I was a wreck.

    I got the number of a 24-hour lactation consultant and stayed on the phone to her for hours every night, following her tips and advice. In the end, feeding him directly off the breast just wasn't working, so I switched to expressing breastmilk for as long as I was able. I tried to reintroduce the breast when my milk supply had decreased, but by then he was too used to the bottle, and my milk started to dry up. I had to switch to dairy formula - which was awful but I was omni (and therefore not as concerned about giving him cows' milk).

    What upset me most was the midwives' and health visitors' reactions to me giving up breastfeeding. There was so much judgment, as if I didn't feel badly enough about being unable to feed my own child. While I understand that breast is best, putting pressure on mums to continue when they and their babies are clearly suffering is insensitive and unnecessary. I love that breastfeeding is becoming more commonplace, but sometimes I fear it's at the detriment of the mother's mental health. Mums should be educated about ALL the options and be allowed to decide for themselves, without judgment or condescension.

    If I have another child in the future, I will try my best to breastfeed again, because it's a natural and beautiful process when things go right. But if things went wrong, I would not feel guilty about switching to formula (though this time around it would of course be soy-based and not dairy).
    xox

  9. #159

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    Default Re: Feelings on breastfeeding

    i wish i could have breastfed my daughter, but she was in an orphanage and just non responsive to even trying to latch for comfort. i tried pumping to induce lactation but it wasn't happening. so i didn't get to. Which is sad but something i would love to have done.

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