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You should always seek medical advice from a physician or other qualified health provider for any questions pertaining to breastfeeding and milk storage. Any information found in this post, on this blog, and shared on any resources created by Mom Wife and Everyday Life is based on my personal experience as a mom and should not be taken as professional advice. The contents of this website are for general informational purposes.
I first want to say this post is not to shame the moms who are unable or truly do not want to breastfeed. This post is for the mom who is on the fence about it. They aren’t sure if they want to do it or not.
It might seem weird or they are worried about the stress it could cause. They are afraid.
I want to simply give them the course to just give breastfeeding a try.
We are going to talk about some of the benefits of breastfeeding and why you should give it a try.
Convenience of Breastfeeding
Some people argue breastfeeding is more convenient, while others argue bottle feeding is more convenient.
Bottle feeding could of course be breastmilk or formula, which both affect the level of convenience.
Let’s talk specifically about the convenience of breastfeeding your baby directly from your body.
Your milk is always ready and at the perfectly right temperature. You never have to think about preparing milk for your baby. This is extremely helpful when it comes to nighttime feedings.
You can go straight to feeding your baby, rather than fumbling around making a bottle.
You don’t have to stress about measuring and deciding how many ounces to feed your baby. Your body will give them what they need.
Packing your diaper bag is much easier. All I ever needed was a nursing cover and a burp cloth. If you are bottle feeding you have much more to worry about every time you leave the house.
This last convenience is a huge one! If you go the direct breastfeeding route you don’t have dishes!!!!!
Have you ever been to a house where they recently had a baby? Notice how many baby bottle parts are drying by the sink. It can get quite overwhelming!
Seriously consider breastfeeding your baby for the convenience it brings!
Cost Savings
You should give breastfeeding a try for the cost savings!
Just think about what you or your family could do with the money you save on formula. You could invest that money in your baby’s future. You could spend it on a nice stroller. You could pay off a bit of debt.
If you directly breastfeed your baby you will save money on formula, but on bottles as well.
The only products I spent money on for directly breastfeeding were nipple balm, breast pads, and a got a hand-me-down nursing cover. You just don’t really need all that much!
Baby formula can get quite costly for that first year. Seriously consider giving breastfeeding a try to see what you can save.
Even if you only breastfeed a week, a month, or 6 months you will save money for your family.
Natural Benefits
I don’t necessarily like talking about the natural benefits. I feel like this is where people tend to get touchy or get offended if they do not breastfeed. However, I do want to just throw out there that if you give breastfeeding a try your baby could get health benefits from your breast milk.
You could also find breastfeeding to be a bonding experience. It is after all very personal and connecting to literally share your body with your baby.
You Can Always Pump
If you are interested in saving money on formula or still giving your baby the benefits of breast milk but can’t physically breastfeed then you can always switch to pumping. This may also be necessary if you need to return to work.
With pumping, you still have those two major benefits of saving money on formula and getting the health benefits from breast milk. You lose a few conveniences though too. You now need bottles. You are going to be washing both bottles and breast pump parts. You will also likely need to purchase freezer storage bags for milk.
In the US breast pumps are often free through your health insurance. Depending on your insurance you may only get a basic pump. If you plan on pumping with multiple children for a long time with each you could consider investing in a higher quality pump like the Elvie.
I was not much of a pumper but I had friends who exclusively did so the whole first year.
Pumping comes with its pros and cons, but overall can still be a good choice.
You Can Always Quit
What do you have to lose? You can breastfeed a day, a week, a month, and a year or beyond. At any point, you can quit.
Now if you never start breastfeeding you can’t just make it happen 3 months later.
I recommend just giving it a try. Why not!
The best progress is to directly breastfeed. If that doesn’t work out or feel right drop down to pumping. If that too isn’t working out for you then it is ok to move along to formula.
You cannot reverse this order easily.
Your baby will struggle to go from a bottle to the breast.
How to Know It is Time To Quit
I think breastfeeding is great and that all new moms should give it a try, but if you get to a bad place with it you should look for these signs that it is time to quit.
If you are dreading feeding your baby and find yourself increasing the space between feedings it is likely time to consider quitting. If you are struggling emotionally or physically with every single feeding it may be too much to handle.
If breastfeeding is preventing you from being the mom you want to be maybe you should quit. It is far better to be the happy formula-feeding momma, rather than the miserable breastfeeding momma.
At the end of the day, we want a happy momma and a fed baby.
If you feel like you are struggling consider having your partner take a read at How to Best Support and Help Your Wife After Having a Baby.
Conclusion
You may or may not want, enjoy, or be successful with breastfeeding, but I think it is wise for every momma to give breastfeeding a try.
Breastfeeding is something that you may only have the opportunity to do once or twice. Don’t miss this opportunity.
Give breastfeeding a try.
Check Out My Articles
The Top 17 Advantages of Direct Breastfeeding Over Bottle Feeding
How to Make the Most of Your Third Trimester to Get Prepared for Baby
5 Reasons Why It Is Important to Include Your Partner at Bedtime
The Solution for Getting Your Newborn to Sleep Without Being Held