Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are probably well aware that breast milk is the best nourishment for a baby. We all know the advantages of breastfeeding: healthier babies, higher IQ, DHA, immunoglobulins, better attachment, saving money, easier on the environment — but what if breastfeeding just doesn’t work out for you? Despite growing support for breastfeeding and the best efforts of La Leche League, many women experience difficulties breastfeeding for a variety of reasons and often get discouraging messages and bad advice from hospitals, doctors, family and friends which can make breastfeeding almost impossible. And sometimes the parts just don’t fit right (short frenulum) or your baby just can never get a good latch (more common than you might think). There is a growing movement of moms who have turned to exclusive pumping as an alternative to nursing to get their babies the nourishment they need. Here is one mom’s personal story — from our friend Melissa Womack, mom to 10 month old Jude…
MELISSA’S STORY
Before my son Jude was born I had bought a single sided pump, but truthfully, I never expected to use it much. I was going to be a stay at home mom, so I thought I would have the opportunity to actually nurse him through all of his feedings. I had taken a breastfeeding class before he was born and had read most of the available literature on the topic. I, myself, was a champion breastfeeder as a baby/toddler and was not weaned until age 2 1/2. It had never really occurred to me beforehand that breastfeeding might prove to be a challenge. I felt prepared. But little did I know, I was about to embark upon one of the most challenging experiences of my life: exclusively pumping to feed my baby my breast milk via bottle.
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