Did you check out my post yesterday about 5 reasons why I love breastfeeding?? Because, truly, I DO love breastfeeding, but there are several things I hate about it, too!

Fortunately, for me, breastfeeding has come fairly easy and I’ve gotten better at it with each of my three children. I never had complications, other than those first two weeks, and my babies seemed to do well with it.

HOWEVER, there are just some things I hate about it and look forward to being done with it.

The beginning is hard.

For me, in those first two weeks, my body is like a cow. My body has a REALLY hard time regulating the amount of milk my baby needs and until it does, it’s painful. I’ve had engorgement all three times, always feeling like I was going to explode, all the while, “the girls” were hot to the touch and felt like big rocks. Not fun.

I’ll never forget getting measured for a nursing bra right after Langston was born. I was so engorged and the sweet lady who measured me told me I needed a bra with a cup size I didn’t even know existed. Ugh.

And let’s not forget the pain from all of the cracking that goes on. Those times I nursed through the pain were unforgettable.

I’m the ONLY person to feed unless I pump.

And, I don’t like pumping. I don’t know many women who do.

Not only that, but my babies have never been big fans of the bottle, so it limits me to how far I can be away and for how long. And, sometimes Brantley doesn’t just want to nurse because she’s hungry, but usually when she’s tired or just wants comfort. It’s almost a full time job without much of a break.

Whenever someone holds Brantley, she just stares at me, the entire time. I always wonder if I wasn’t the only person feeding her, would she still do that?

I usually have to sit in one place.

Occasionally, I am able to walk around while I nurse, but that’s usually because I have to tend to one or both of the boys. My preference is to have a nice comfy spot, with my Boppy on my lap and baby on the Boppy.

When Langston was young and I was nursing Riverson, it wasn’t a big deal because I could just go sit in Langston’s room, shut the door, and let him play with his toys in there, while I nursed.

Now that the boys are older and busier, it’s harder for me to corral them in to their bedroom and even tougher for me to keep them in there while I’m feeding Brantley. This usually means, while Brantley is eating, they’re finding something naughty to do because they know I won’t be getting up for a few minutes.

The clean up around the house after each of my nursing sessions sure is fun. :/

The “girls” are punished.

Let’s face it, they’re just not the same, after.

You have to pay attention to what you eat.

If you have a fussy baby, you have to think about what you ate. Gassy baby? Well, what did you eat? Whatever you eat, affects what they eat and how their body responds.

With Brantley’s eczema, I’m having to change EVERYTHING I’m eating because she’s got so many food allergies.

What things do YOU hate about breastfeeding??

**DISCLOSURE**

I will say the same thing I said yesterday because the way women choose to feed their baby can be a VERY sensitive subject matter. This is just about my experience in breastfeeding and I really think that how you choose to feed your baby is your business.

At the end of the day, you have to do what works best for you, your baby, and your family!

When I got pregnant in 2008 with Langston, I knew I wanted to be breastfeeding for his first year. The beginning was tough, but I was determined to make it work.

When he was 8 months old, I already knew I was pregnant with Riverson and Langston’s weight gain had stalled. I had to give it up and I was actually ok with it.

With Riverson, I stopped around the same time but it was mostly because my supply had plummeted and with a toddler to chase around, I was frustrated and ready to be done with it. I was ok with that decision, too.

Now that I’m breastfeeding Brantley, I know we’re just about on the downhill side of her breastfeeding days. If I don’t see some improvement in her skin within the next month, I might be seeing the end sooner than I’d like.

Nevertheless, I wanted to document reasons why I love breastfeeding, before my time comes to an end, forever.

It’s Free

This is the obvious reason and probably my favorite reason why I love it so much. I remember after I was finished breastfeeding the boys how much I hated having to pay for formula. I was constantly on the lookout for coupons, sales, and where to find the best price for their formula. That hunt wore me out.

The Bond

The time spent nursing each of my babies has been very special to me and by the time Brantley got here, I had realized how fast the first year passes by. I was actually ok with waking up a couple of times during the night to nurse her. I wish I had had the same attitude when Langston was nursing. I was pretty bitter about those middle of the night feedings. Once again, it’s funny how you change as a mom with each one of your kids.

It’s Easy

There’s no bottle to prepare and it’s always warm and ready to go. After the first two weeks, which can be REALLY REALLY hard, the rest is pretty easy, assuming you’re complication free, which I was, thank goodness. You’d be surprised how fast I can get my little one from crying to sleeping, without ever having to walk to the kitchen for a bottle. I’m lazy like that.

Diet

Basically, whenever I’ve been breastfeeding, I can eat whatever the heck I want! I drop weight pretty easily after pregnancy and the ONLY thing I can really attribute it to is breastfeeding, since I’ve struggled with my weight my entire adult life. Well, that and the fact that I’m chasing kids around all day and don’t have much time to eat.

Now that Brantley has food allergies and I’m trying to push through with nursing, I’m eating even healthier and my old clothes are actually loose.

Basically, breastfeeding does good things for my body.

Your Turn

Aside from losing the weight, this is my favorite reason I love breastfeeding. My husband doesn’t usually read my blog so just don’t tell him, m’kay?

Whenever one of the boys wakes up in the middle of the night, just needing some comforting, it’s REALLY easy for me to say, “Can you go? I’m feeding the baby.” I may or may not be feeding the baby.

**Disclosure**

As much as I absolutely love breastfeeding, you will never find me as one of those people who tells every mother why it’s the best thing for their baby. There are plenty of other women and websites out there to do that. I hope you do not read this post that way. This is just simply a few reasons why it’s good for me and my babies.

I genuinely feel that how you feed your baby is your business, not mine. My very best friend did not produce milk. At. All. She wanted it to work, but it just didn’t, no matter how hard she tried. My heart broke for her, but I never once thought she should feel guilty for not nursing her baby.

There are people I know who really just have no desire, and that is ok.

Only you know what is best for you and your baby!

Check out my post on 5 reasons I HATE breastfeeding.

If you nursed your baby/ies, what was your favorite thing about it?