Breastfeed Now Or Later?

I read the article that cnn.com posted on its' health link today which spurred some of my homegrown rhetoric. Don't count it out, my homegrown rhetoric I mean.

If an infant could have the luxury of being exclusively fed by the mother for six months,it would bond the mother and child and improve trust issues in the childhood years and adulthood years. This is from what I have been able to research as a family therapist.

I personally breastfed all four of my children. In retrospect, if I had extended that breastfeeding period to the full six months, I am sure I would have had even more results from breastfeeding. The child that I breastfed the least, ( I was a sixteen year old mother) had more illness as an infant than the other three. The child that I weaned from the breast to the cup at nine months old is more self confident than any one of my children.

Breastfeeding was not popular in the 60's and 70's, but I have never been one to do the popular thing. My mother encouraged it, my grandmother encouraged it and my pediatrician was adamant about it. The LaLeche League encouraged me to feed with no additional supplement or solid food for several months.

I really didn't mind the extra demands it required, such as having my child close to me, not leaving my infant with caretakers, and finding a private place to feed. When I could not find a private place, it was never a problem to feed quickly and publicly with a blanket. No one seemed to notice.

You cannot have the best of both worlds. Just as you can't have sanity with a husband and a boyfriend simultaneously, you can't have an infant and a free lifestyle. A mother will have ample time and years ahead to pursue whatever she wants. If you want a child, then it would be best if you didn't want a high powered career for at least the breastfeeding time of the infant or ideally, even longer than that. An infant deserves to have an available mother, a calm mother, and a relaxed mother. It soothes, relaxes and helps the baby to be peaceful.

Now that my children are adults, when I think about them as infants, I remember the 3:00 a.m feeding times with me in a rocking chair softly rocking and humming. There is no substitute for those memories.

When you think about the natural order of things, breastfeeding is the natural way to feed infant humans. What animal would consider preparing formula, shopping for formula, and finding the "right" formula when they had the perfect food always ready and always at the right feeding temperature? I can't think of an animal that does it other than humans.

Some people seem to have a "hole" in them that can never be filled. They usually feel empty and most of their relationships are dependent and needy. Poor bonding and lack of affirmation of infants can be a lifelong issue.

Children should be mutually planned for by the to be parents. They need to consider all aspects of being parents. The commitment and lifestyle change is a major consideration. For a period of time, at least through the breast feeding months, the couple should plan for the mother to be with the child. This has to be planned considering mother's career or job, household finances, and the shift in lifestyle both in time management and the emotional shifts that come with the addtion of an infant.

Career wise, any employer that has a valuable employee, would most likely be willing to give at least a six month maternity leave to an expectant mother. If not, they are not a family based company and do themselves injury because of that. Most CEO's or managers realize that a balanced home with company support would benefit their organization.

Financially, one less paycheck, would have to be reckoned with since so many females work outside the home now. Saving money, living on less, and basically making room financially for an additional family member should be planned.

Lifestyle change can be upsetting even though it has been planned. Any additional changes in the household, including positive ones can bring extreme tension into the family unit. All of these things require planning and adjustment.

The bonding begins in the womb with the sound of the mother, extending that time with breastfeeding would most likely shorten the period of time on the opposite end of the spectrum when a child is trying to exit the home.

Children are staying longer in the home now and some parents are supporting children well into their twenties.

If an infant could get all the "titty time" they needed as an infant...perhaps there would be less demand for it at the other end of adolescence and young adulthood causing them to stay longer on the parental "tit".

pauladayjohns

Please check out this article on cnn.com posted today.

Study: Lack of breastfeeding costs lives, billions of dollarsMiriam Falco, CNN Medical News Managing Editor
April 5, 2010 10:06 a.m. EDT