I respect your choice but please dont act ignorant!

I am a breastfeeding mom of four. I don't have and never had anything against formula feeding moms. If you are I can see your point . If you are the one taking care of the baby and you are the one feeding him , well of course ITS YOUR CHOICE.

I know breastfeeding can be hard. I used both breastmilk and formula with my oldest for a few months because it was too hard for me...then at two month i decided I wanted to Breastfeed exclusively so I did till Gab was 10 months when she bit me. And that was enough reason for me to stop cold turkey. It wasn't the best decision, but that's what i did.

I gave up with my second daughter as well. She was too demanding. Until the doctor said she couldn't tolerate anything but breastmilk and I had to start over again, after a month of having weaned, and I breastfeed her till 18 months. I breastfeed my oldest boy 16 mos and currently breastfeeding my 30 months boy , and I am pretty proud of it.

As you can see I understand you, and I respect you, but what I can not stand Its IGNORANCE. THIS VENT ITS NOT ABOUT FORMULA FEEDING MOMS. ITS ABOUT THE ONES WHO DARE TO SAY THAT FORMULA AND BREASTMILK IS THE SAME.

Breastmilk its not the same as formula. It doesn't have the same ingredients. It doesn't loose its nutritional value over time. Please don't repeat what you heard somewhere, what your mom said, what your friend said, what your ignorant doctor said (it must be ignorant to go against the AAP ) , or the opinion you formed to convince yourself that formula is the best for your child so you don't feel guilty. If you have really done only a minimal research on the subject, you will notice, that even in formula cans its written the words "breast is best".

Don't be offended when you see posters saying that breast is best or when somebody talks about the benefits of breastfeeding. It doesnt matter how many tantrums you throw over this, you will not change the facts that breast is best.

BREASTFEDING

• Have at least 100 ingredients that FORMULA DOESN'T HAVE
  
• provides protection against illnesses (not only the colostrum), For mommy and for baby.
  
• have emotional benefits as well for mom and for baby
• healthier babies (if your son its healthy just imagine how healthier he'll be if he was breastfeed)
• smarter babies (Of course genetics play a mayor role in intelligence but your baby may be smarter than your friend's breastfeed baby. Just imagine how much smarter he would be if you had breastfeed him and how much dumber your friend's baby would be if she haven't)
• Help in the formation of teeth
  
• its cheaper
• its easier to prepare
• it comes on very nice bottles
• etc.
  

If you formula feed you have all the right to be proud about it. Why not? You have all the right to brag about how healthy and smart is your baby. You don't have to be ashamed of your decision, but please accept the fact that breast is best.

Do you really believe you know more than the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the World Health Organization?

So please learn to accept the reality, don't get mad at WIC or the lactation consultant at the hospital, because all they want it whats BEST for your baby, Don't get mad at any friend who wants you to try breastfeeding, because no matter how much you complain. breastfeeding will STILL being BEST for babies.

http://kellymom.com/

http://www.lalecheleague.org/nb.html?m=0,0,0

http://www.breastfeeding.com/

http://www.promom.org/101/

Who are those Extended breastfeeding moms?

My experience

Well I am one of them. We are regular moms, who love and care for our kids with passion as any other good mom. Most of us didn’t wake up one day and decided:”I’m going to breastfeed my kid until he is 4”. Extended breastfeeding, or I must use the correct term, full term breastfeeding came gradually with the knowledge and experience gained day by day.

Most breastfeeding moms I have known can be divided in 3 groups. All of them have done research and that’s why they choose breastfeeding for their children. The first group, as a result of their research, say: “I’m going to breastfeed for a year”. The second group, have gone a little farther on their research (cause lets be honest you can find millions of articles of breastfeeding babies, but toddlers? That’s harder to find) and they decided: “I’m going to breastfeed ‘till my baby is two”. There is a third group, it’s the expert ones, usually the ones that had previous experience with extended breastfeeding and they are the ones who say: “I’m breastfeeding ‘till my kid decides to stop”.

Now there is only a small amount of breastfeeding women who actually reach their goals. Most of them sadly give up before their first year. It is their fault? No. It’s ignorance’s fault. Not their ignorance, but family members, friends, relatives, even nurses and doctors… We breastfeeding mommies receive such negative feedbacks; there are such so many breastfeeding myths, its really hard for us to keep going. The pressure is unbelievable and lots of mommies give up in efforts of trying to do what’s best for their babies.

Reaching the 1st year mark to me is the most important goal a breastfeeding mom can achieve and I bow to whoever reached it because I know it’s not easy. Most mommies wean their babies after the 1st birthday and most babies self wean before the two year mark. I weaned my first before her first year, and my 2nd and 3rd kid were weaned before 18 months. But there are other babies who just aren’t ready to wean. Babies who want to keep on breastfeeding. Babies like my Francisco.

I was a mommy from the 1st group. I breastfeed for a year and introduce cows milk and start weaning gradually until they are done. And that’s what I did with Fran because 2 years old was way out my comfort zone. He was 15 months when Daddy went to military training. He nursed a lot before, more than my other kids at that age, but when Daddy left he started nursing like a baby, even waking up at night. I asked the pediatrician and he said to keep on nursing cause it was helping him to deal with missing his daddy. So I started doing more research and made the commitment that two years old was my new goal: My New comfort zone.

But when Francisco Javier turned 2 he wasn’t over yet. I could feel it he wasn’t ready! Then I learned it wasn’t about MY comfort zone it’s about HIS comfort zone: HIS readiness. Until 2-3 weeks ago he nursed first thing in the mornings, as a mid morning snack, after every meal, as a mid afternoon snack, before going to sleep, and sometimes he would wake up at night to nurse. He would nurse even after drinking a whole cup or regular milk or juice. He would nurse to comfort himself when he had a boo-boo or when he was sick. Now he is 30 months (2 ½ years) he is only nursing in the mornings, for bedtime and for naptime. He still does it when he is sad , afraid or hurting….

Did I plan this? Of course not. Most of us don’t plan this. Extended breastfeeding is something that just happens. And if you research on it you might learn that it’s actually full of psychological and nutritional benefits for our kids.

Fran is a normal toddler. He is curious and pretty independent. He can stay up to a week, with my sister without missing me. He can drink not from a zippy cup but from a regular cup since he was 18 months. He is not traumatized; he is not a mamma’s boy. He is as healthy and smart as any other kid. I am a regular mommy also. I care about my body, I care about my marriage, my sex life, sometimes I love breastfeeding sometimes I hate it and can’t wait for him to stop, I am not a sick-o or a pervert and I bet the rest extended breastfeeding moms are the same. We are just normal women who want the best for our kids and don’t want to force them to quit something they are not ready to quit.