[oregongirlie]

So, I'm expecting our first and felt like the pariah of the group when I confessed that I didn't really like the idea of breastfeeding. I plan to do it for a long time and know the positives of it -- I just feel... I don't know -- I'm not looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to making my new family member happy and healthy, so that could end up a positive in our BF relationship. If there were no benefits at all over formula, I might not do it. (Except I'm with it enough to know that that just wouldn't make sense.) Has anyone felt this way and then grown to not mind breastfeeding? I'm anticipating a change in my feelings. Life usually turns out better than I think it will.

 

[erikanorth]

I had a friend who felt exactly like you describe, planned to breastfeed but didn't really like the thought of it. Well, the hormones of birth and the oxytocin released when breastfeeding must have changed her mind. She loved it, felt so close to her baby, and it came very naturally to her. She still says she can't believe she enjoyed 'someone' (her babe) sucking on her!

So there is hope!

HTH, Erika

 

[98741]

As a doula I have worked with moms that share your feelings and most end up enjoying the experience and actually feeling compelled to breastfeed after the baby was born. A woman's body is truely amazing and your hormones will help you with this. Just your dedication to doing it is a great start, your body will likely fill in the emotions for you.

Congratulations!!

 

[heidilynne]

I went back and forth so much with feeling good about bfing and feeling like it was a huge burden. I still do, to be honest, but my good feelings about it are stronger than the negative ones. After a few months of it, I suddenly realized that I'd actually miss it when we were done.

 

[Vanessa]

One of my friends was very concerned about this before the birth of her dd. But, now she loves to nurse her 6 month old and can't imagine why she felt that way. The crazy hormones should help you.

 

[KBinSATX]

Just be prepared that you are really not going to like it at first.
I was all excited about breastfeeding but at the start it was very tough.
I swear if I hadn't donated all of the formula samples I had received in the mail to a food bank the week before I delivered I might have caved in...
I am really enjoying it now though. My son is 10 weeks old and I am glad I stuck with it.
I know I am not the target group your question was posted for but I thought it was important to mention that BF might not be instantly all that great so don't be disappointed. It will get better.

 

[laneylue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heidilynne I went back and forth so much with feeling good about bfing and feeling like it was a huge burden. I still do, to be honest, but my good feelings about it are stronger than the negative ones. After a few months of it, I suddenly realized that I'd actually miss it when we were done.

I felt the same way. That combined with a total lack of a support network caused me to quit sooner than I should have. I regretted quitting and really missed it after I stopped.

I have much stronger feelings about BFing with this pregnancy and plan on seeking out support. I think the main difference is that I stopped being on the defensive and really educated myself about the benefits of BFing. I am hoping that makes a difference this time around.

 

[kalirush]

It's totally okay to not be looking forward to it.

I guess I didn't think much about it beforehand; I mean, I knew I was going to bf, that's how you feed babies, but I didn't look forward to it or not. I was very "whatever" towards BF in the early days, though. I would have told you that I liked being able to sleep at night, I liked not having to mess with bottles, and I liked having a healthy baby even though my husband and I were sick- but I didn't necessarily "like" bf itself. It was mostly just work. I didn't hate it, but wasn't crazy about it either.

Around 10 months, that changed, though! I really love bfing my girl now. I think the difference is that she's such an independent little crawler now, that I mostly only get snuggles when she's nursing.

So yeah, you can change your mind. Good for you for being committed to bf even though you're not crazy about it, though!

Julia

 

[OneHappyMama69]

I know that prior to having my son, I remember thinking there is no way I could do that. One, I had never really known anyone who did, and the friends I knew who had babies "tried" and failed (now I think Yeah right!), so it was definitely not something I looked forward to. I did my research, didn't take much to realize the benefits to both of us, and fast-forward 2.5 yrs, and we are still at it. There were times I must admit I hated it (for the 5th or 6th time in the middle of the night around 18mos), but for a majority of the time, I have loved it. I love having the closeness and bond with my son that no one else in the world has. I love knowing that he knows he can come to me no matter happens and I will comfort him and he will feel safe in my arms and at my breast.

 

[CRosewhisper]

Before my first was born I had never seen anyone bf or heard of anyone in my family bf'ing and it wasn't something I thought much about until I was pregnant. Also I'm not a baby person, I don't want to hold other people's babies, see them or touch them. I was a bit concerned about how bf'ing was going to play out for me since I knew bf'ing was the best and easiest choice. I tell ya, the hormones or whatever hit me hard, nursing and seeing my contented little baby are some of the most sweetest gifts of motherhood. I even get teary seeing nursing babies on tv!

My point is that motherhood changes you, us, everyone! Your little one is quite lucky to have a Momma with your outlook.

 

[cellarstella]

When I first held my little baby in my arms, the first thing I did was offer my breast. It felt really really strange, shoving a baby's face at my boob! I guess it felt strange because I hadn't really seen breastfeeding before. I saw it in books and once at an LLL meeting, but that's really it. I thought it would feel like the most natural thing in the world, but it actually took about about two weeks (part of that was a big struggle of getting a good latch) to really start to feel normal about it. Like a previous poster said, it really felt like work for a long time, and still does sometimes, especially when she's frustrated about something and popping on and off... an issue we've been dealing with yesterday and today. But there are moments when we are contentedly nursing and she's my little sunshine beaming up at me and it's the best thing ever!

 

[~Megan~]

I didn't have feelings one way or another and I did learn to love it. The ease of it, how much dd loved it, and more