May is national Maternal Mental Health Month, and I’m excited to share a bit more about my experience as a mother. But to be completely honest, I’m also feeling a lot of resistance to writing this post. A lot of fear. Because breastfeeding is a sensitive subject with a spectrum of strong opinions. I’m pushing back against this resistance today and stretching beyond my comfort zone, because I feel it’s important — to be a support for mamas who are struggling with breastfeeding, like I did.
Thank you in advance for reading with an open mind and heart.
Let me first start out by saying — no matter how you feed your child, you’re doing your absolute best and you’re an amazing mama. 100% without a doubt. Whether you nurse your little one, formula feed, exclusively pump, or land somewhere in between, you’re doing what is best for you both.
Pressures from the “breast is best” movement and the “baby-friendly” initiative adopted by many hospitals can leave mamas who aren’t able to nurse their kiddos — for whatever reason — feeling like they’re failing.
My second son is due in less than six weeks, and I’m so very excited to welcome him into our family. But I feel a pit of anxiety welling in my stomach whenever I think of breastfeeding him, which I very much want to do. Because breastfeeding didn’t work with my first. After ten weeks of trying and trying, and feeling like a failure as a mother, I decided to feed with formula. It was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made, but ultimately one of the best.
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