After three pregnancies and 11 years of parenting, I can honestly say that I have (mostly) worked out what works best for me as a mom, and I’m pretty comfortable with the choices I’ve made. Maybe I’m just older and care less, in general, what the rest of the world thinks… or maybe I just have more confidence now in my decisions.
When it comes to feeding my children, I knew I just had to do what felt the most right to me. Throughout each of my pregnancies, my body (all of it) was very sensitive and sore. All the parts! To the point that sometimes clothing would hurt me… this is how sensitive things can get (thanks, hormones!). I had an overwhelming sense of “no thank you” when it came to considering breastfeeding my babies. I can’t explain it, and I don’t know why. It’s just not for me. I have always known it.
Knowing myself and knowing how strongly I felt about getting my body back quickly, understanding the process of feeding (pros and cons), realizing what my life and work schedule would be like after each child, and just listening to my gut — I always knew bottle feeding would be my path. Ironically (or maybe not), I also never had any milk production so warding it off wasn’t an issue. Nothing ever came and I never even tried (people ask me this all the time.)
I also feel compelled to mention that I have zero issues with anyone else breastfeeding and think it’s a wonderful, joyful thing for many mothers with lots of health benefits. Feel free to whip out your boob right next to me — I’m all for it. Feed your bambino any way you like and don’t feel the need to be modest about it one bit! I support your way and am super impressed by the mamas who are high-producing and dedicated to their commitment.
Thankfully, each of my babies was healthy and ate well formula-style from the very beginning. The benefits are that your own body can recover quickly when you don’t experience breastfeeding side effects, the baby-daddy can pitch in right away (siblings too!), and ingestion quantities can be easily recorded. The bottle-feeding path isn’t for everyone, and I certainly don’t plan to get on any soapbox about it. It was just my way, and it worked for me. When it comes to boobs and babes, you do You.