Comments on: The Breastfeeding Advice No One Gives You: It’s OK to Quit

By: April

April — Tue, 12 May 2020 21:45:09 +0000

In reply to Rozemareigh. Aw, that's the highest compliment! Thanks so much for reading, sharing and taking the time to send a note here—I appreciate it, ever so.

By: Rozemareigh

Rozemareigh — Mon, 11 May 2020 22:02:25 +0000

Great Article. I’m not even a lactating mother and the topic was catchy enough to bring me. The content too is top-notch! I love the whole of it! I even shared it on my twitter.

By: April

April — Mon, 11 May 2020 18:58:43 +0000

In reply to Crystal Moon. Hey, Crystal! Thanks for reading. I'm so happy to hear you're on the other side of it all now. Happy belated Mama's Day.

By: Crystal Moon

Crystal Moon — Sun, 10 May 2020 16:19:16 +0000

Here, here! Thanks for sharing. I was in a very similar boat, hungry baby, mastitis, minimal supply. The moment I threw in the towel my world changed; I began to realize how much better it was on the other side.

By: April

April — Sat, 09 May 2020 17:42:54 +0000

In reply to Sarah. Soo true, Sarah. We're hard enough on ourselves, without the help of outside or societal pressure. Thanks for reading and taking the time to send a note!

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 09 May 2020 15:01:10 +0000

Such an important message! I literally have permanent scars on my nipples from breastfeeding. Becoming a mother is a challenge but the pressure to breastfeed is counterproductive and hurtful to many women. I took a class on breastfeeding and they made it sound like every problem could be overcome with the right latch and enough effort. That is simply not true for all women, and honestly, not always worth the grueling physical pain and emotional toll.

By: April

April — Fri, 08 May 2020 18:49:57 +0000

In reply to Jamie. Ohhhhh, Jamie. If I wrote this post for anyone, it was specifically for you. I cannot imagine going through breastfeeding troubles ON TOP of how lonely and chaotic the world is right now. No matter what you choose to do, I promise you, you're doing the right thing and you're doing a bang-up job with this motherhood stuff. All those cliches? They're true. A feeding relationship (no matter how) is between no one but the mama and the baby and there are a million ways that can be—there's no one-way-suits-all. And it does get soo much easier—every ounce of it. In the end, no matter what you decide with this breastfeeding thing, I promise your baby will only feel safe and loved either way. Thinking of you tons this Mother's Day. Thank you for reading.

By: April

April — Fri, 08 May 2020 18:41:48 +0000

In reply to Cait. It was a smack in the face to realize just show closely breastfeeding and PPD were tied for me, too. And, whoa, it sounds like you really had a go of it—I'm happy you found relief and a new routine that worked for you and that made you (and your son) happy, too. Thank you for reading, thank you for your comment and have yourself a happy little Mother's Day, will ya?

By: April

April — Fri, 08 May 2020 18:38:44 +0000

In reply to Olivia. Oh, Olivia, I am soo happy you had the support of someone like your mom during what sounds like a pretty tricky time. Happier still to hear that you found a turning point with your PPD. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading and for your comment. Happy (almost) Mother's Day!

By: April

April — Fri, 08 May 2020 18:23:47 +0000

In reply to Lyn. Ugh, it can be such a tough, lonely time for some of us, but I'm glad you found peace with it in the end. Thank you for reading and Happy Mother's Day!

By: April

April — Fri, 08 May 2020 18:22:18 +0000

In reply to Susanna. So happy to hear you've been able to make it work, Susanna (especially with all those hiccups, yoy) and could not possibly agree more about the societal pressures (to the left with that, huh?). Happy Mother's Day to you. Thank you for reading!

By: April

April — Fri, 08 May 2020 18:19:05 +0000

In reply to Lesley. Oof. It's all so, so tricky (and hard!), but I'm happy to hear you both found a way that worked for you. Thank you for reading, Lesley!

By: Jamie

Jamie — Fri, 08 May 2020 17:02:57 +0000

Thank you, this was timely for me. I’m 3 weeks postpartum and currently doing a half nursing/half formula regimen for a handful of reasons. My breasts hurt constantly. I don’t know how long I’ll continue, and I may keep going if there’s improvement, but deprogramming my brain from all the external noise and expectation over breastfeeding is necessary, either way.

By: Cait

Cait — Fri, 08 May 2020 16:39:22 +0000

Yes yes yes. I live in the Bay Area and there is such a stigma about “giving up”. I had so much trouble getting my son to latch. We discussed getting his tongue clipped because of a possible tongue tie, spoon feeding him milk in the middle of the night, etc. I stopped breastfeeding at 3 months because I was having serious PPD and anxiety. Our pediatrician wasn’t comfortable with me breastfeeding with the meds I was taking. I felt so much guilt- was formula going to ruin my kid? But then after the first full day of formula he slept through the night and it was SUCH a relief. I never had to deal with pumping at work, which just seemed like one more big hurdle to go through when the return to work was hard enough. I am so grateful for formula and happy I found it. I tell all new moms my story so they don’t feel like a failure. Our son is happy, healthy, and eats a variety of foods some adults do t even like!

By: Olivia

Olivia — Fri, 08 May 2020 16:09:29 +0000

Every new mom needs to read this. Prior to supplementing (and eventually transitioning to all formula) I was crying every night, trying to pump enough to get my daughter through daycare the next day. Then we went on a trip with a mom I thought “had it all together” (aka in my mind she was for sure breastfeeding) and she brought along a tub of formula! It pulled back this huge curtain for me and helped me realize that there are MANY healthy and safe ways to feed your child. It gave me permission to start supplementing and was a huge turning point in my recovery from PPD. Thanks for sharing your story, April.

By: Lyn

Lyn — Fri, 08 May 2020 15:09:36 +0000

Brought tears to my eyes reading thinking of how I felt with my first. When I went back to work I’d pump and pump and would come home barely anything. Kept at it forever because I felt so guilty. The day I let it go was such a huge relief that I wished I’d done it easy sooner because it was never easy. I tell every new mother I know that it is ok!! All we can do is our best!!!

By: Susanna

Susanna — Fri, 08 May 2020 15:01:00 +0000

thank you for this. we fought through an incredibly hard beginning and are still going strong 12 months later. however, i feel that the obsession with making it work (through prematurity, nipple shields, triple feeding, 3 bouts of mastitis) robbed me of precious moments in the beginning of motherhood. it’s hard enough already. if society would share more about the difficulty and taxing nature of the breastfeeding journey, i think moms would be better equipped when it all starts to feel so heavy. happy mother’s day!

By: Lesley

Lesley — Fri, 08 May 2020 14:17:34 +0000

I relate to so much of this. My kid was actually a feeding champ, but I had terrible, wake me from a dead sleep pain regularly, and when I switched to pumping my supply dropped. He didn’t mind the gradual switch to formula and we were both so much happier when we weren’t struggling.

By: April

April — Thu, 07 May 2020 18:34:27 +0000

In reply to Annie. Thanks for reading, Annie! So glad to hear you found something that worked for you and allowed more happy times with your little guy.

By: Annie

Annie — Thu, 07 May 2020 18:29:17 +0000

Thank you for sharing this. I stopped breastfeeding early on (pumped milk and formula worked well) and I never missed it. I felt so stressed trying to make sure my baby was eating and gaining weight. Once he was on bottles, I never felt that same kind of anxiety and could spend my time enjoying being his mother.