ok...im due with my 5th child any day now. this is the first time ive wated to breastfeed. my older 4 were formula fed, pretty much out of convienence. i guess im psyching myself out or something like that. im scared that its gunna hurt or im not going to be able to continue to do it. my hubby and i are trying to "go green" hes not pagan, doesnt have a problem with me bieng that way but hes relaized that he wants to be more earthy so to speak. does anyone have any advice....

It will be fine..if you after you nurse your baby let your nipples air dry and I and found this out the hard way. Lessens soreness (suffered pain till I found that out! And was fine afterward.
Of course my son would not leave the breast until 2 weeks before he turned two.(hope it won't be that long for you.)[smile]

Here (Ontario) breastfeeding moms can purchase Lansinoh for breasts as a barrier/protection. I was never able to get into the breast feeding very far (didn't produce enough to feed her properly - long story) but I did use this to help ease the cracking a bit.

PS - My daughter had a heavy drooling problem as a baby and always had a read spot under her lip - put the product on as a barrier and we really saw a difference.
Here's a link of what I am talking about:

http://www.momsinmind.com.sg/lansinohcream.html

Check out La Leche League online: http://www.llli.org/

They are a WONDERFUL organization and support group of and for breast-feeding moms. A local chapter of La Leche League plus their books were a tremendous help to me many years ago when I wanted to breastfeed my first child (who's now 33!), and I ended up breastfeeding my daughter for two years and later, my son for 15 months.

Now, with the internet and so much available online, I'm sure you can find all the info and answers to any questions you could ever think of. I don't think you'll be sorry should you decide to breastfeed. It's a unique and wonderful opportunity (as well as a gift) to be able to provide your child with the BEST nutrition available, and it's a loving and bonding experience.

I intend to breastfeed mine. I even want to buy a pump so that I can keep my baby on breast milk even after I go back to work.

i have heard that breastfeeding help to properly develop baby's immune system, and I think there must be some truth to that: My mother breastfed me until I was 7 months (I came down with pneumonia and could no longer breastfeed). But she had open-heart surgery three weeks after my brother was born and could not breastfeed him after than because of the medication she was on. TO this day, I never get sick but my brother ALWAYS has a cold. (And I'm not exaggerating. Every two weeks, he's sniffly). He's on Vitamin C and ecinachea for life.

I breastfed and worked. I was fortunate in that I could take the baby to work with me most days. For the times when that wasn't possible I kept a stash of milk in the freezer. It will keep safely in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. I used those disposable liners from the plastic bottles to store it in.

My (now EX) wife breast fed both my boys (at least there was Something she was good at!) The Best cream I found for Nipples is the Udder Cream sold at feed and seed stores. (I think the names are "Dr Hess" and "Redex" ) Really, I Kid you Not ! It comes in a round metal Tin, it is Very cost effective..... and, it makes your Hands soft, too !
(I Know my Nipples!) Breast feeding is not something to Worry about! ...and, it is sooooooo good for the baby ! ALSO... it burns a Bunch o Calories for You ! Natural Weight Loss !
[cool]

I didn't breastfeed either of my two - first time out of necessity and second out of choice

I think far too much pressure is put on new mum's to do it (I know most of Our midwives wouldn't have looked out of place in Germany during the 1940's!)

Yes it has it's positives and they are numerous but people are so often made to feel like failures if they can't do it which is just what you need when you've just had a baby and your self-esteem is low anyway!

I am convinced that bottle fed babies sleep better (it's easier to add vodka to a bottle anyway - I am Kidding clearly)

Just do what feels right for you but don't feel bad if you don't do it

Hello Sapphire Fox,

This was a difficult decision for me, maybe because I'm a tomboy and it seemed, to be perfectly frank, gross to let a young human ebryonic creature suck off my bodily fluids- but that's probably just me. Hahahahaha

Anyway I researched the pros and cons also because I work in hazardous wastes sites including nuclear power plants. I didn't want to accidentally toxify the young embryonic form through tainted breast milk.

Pros
If you breast feed a child for a minimum of three months it gets all the immunoglobins from the mother that transfer the ability for the baby to fight off whatever disease you yourself had. This means if you had chickenpox or measels or mumps and these types of illnesses you will transfer to the baby the ability to fight it better, stronger, faster. This isn't true for immunized mothers- you had to really have had the full blown symptoms. There are other things that get transferred at a bodily function biology way that I won't go into details here but suffice to say, 3 months seems to be the magic number. At 3 months children often get teeth and require much more milk to be satiated so it is more difficult to continuing breast feeding unless you have giant breasts, or don't mind feeding very frequently. If you have a job you can't seriously entertain this unless you want to mortify yourself by locking yourself in the bathroom at work and milking yourself like a cow with a vacuum (complete with sound) in a stall.

You can't also partake in drinking alcohol or taking any kind of drugs until you have completed the bresastfeeding or these will cross into your breast milk and you will also feed your child these. So after 42 weeks for carrying the child and 12 weeks of breastfeeding that equals about a year total of your life you have to be Glinda the Goodwitch and not be a normal human with regard to partying and enjoying that aspect of life. If you decided on having children, plural, this means a few years of abstinence. That was tough for me.

Some moms are totally into being The Nurturer aspect of the Goddess. That is cool, they are awesome mothers in my book- but that aint me. I have a career and a very active life and so I chose the path of least resistance and did the minimum time periods for increasing the health and well being of the baby. I say well being because I think breast feeding a baby puts you into intimate contact that helps to establish a very neccesary instinctual bonding.Maybe it allos your aura's to cross and harmonize the babies field to your own and that's how it works. I have noticed with many of my friends who are career women haven't bonded properly to their childran and the are having difficulties in the relationship with their children at older ages as a result.

The best pro of breastfeeding is that the longer you do it the skinnyer you will get.


CONS
Breast feeding was very painful for me.

Breast feeding keeps you up all night. Trying to go back to work and having to feed the baby at 2am and 4am and also work a full day is exhausting.

Leaking breasts are embarrassing.

Hard to breastfeed in city areas without pervs watching you!

Get plastic sheets for the first time you sleep through a feeding.

and the number one: the loud vacuum noise and carrying around breast milk!
MOOOOO


OF course these are my opinions solely, you don't have to agree.

good luck,
JB

I think youre psyching yourself out. youll do fine and if not you got the formula. I dont have any kids yet but my cousin just had twins and boy are they ever boob babies haha. I know my mother couldnt breastfeed, when she tried with me it hurt like crazy and i started coughing up blood so the docs said to stop. just hope its not genetic. I always wondered if its true that breast fed boys turn out to be breast men...