Cat Uncaged

I wonder why I decided to breastfeed.

I was thinking about it this morning. I knew nothing about breastfeeding. My mother never mentioned it. It wasn't something that we all discussed at the kitchen table.

I think a lot of it came about when I found out I was pregnant.
I researched EVERYTHING I could about babies. I wanted to know how to be a mother. I asked my mom why she didn't breastfeed me. She was very tearful when she explained that she couldn't. She tried. She wanted too. It was very hard on her.

I was born a few weeks early, and she began breastfeeding. I lost weight. She tried harder, and found out, to her dismay, that she truly wasn't producing enough milk.
She wanted to breastfeed. She knew, even 25 years ago, that breastfeeding was the best thing for me (and my brother).

She tried to breastfeed and then supplement with formula. Unfortunately, the doctor said she needed to switch to formula full time. They discussed it, and my mother agreed. She's since researched it and found out why he said to do that.
They feared failure to thrive and SIDS even in that day and age. The doctor feared that if I had not had enough to eat, then I might not make it.

Science has since evolved and we know that most people can breastfeed. But I truly know that some mothers cannot breastfeed, and THAT is why formula was made. Formula was not made to take the place of breast milk. Formula was made to help babies survive, in the event the mother was not around (i.e. death), or could not feed the child.

My mother FULLY supported my breastfeeding and was glad that I could do what she was unable to. She never mentioned it, for a few reasons, it was painful, and the subject never came up.