breastfeeding bridesmaid dress
by Deyta Adiwoso-Bragg
Mothers who breastfeed exclusively, good on you!
Mothers who formula feed... GREAT ON YOU!
It's great to see women all over the world becoming mothers and I'm sure each one of them are going through their own motherhood battle...
But you know what's not great? Not acknowledging mothers who has trouble breastfeeding therefore resorted to formula, then get scrutinized by it.
What is wrong with formula? Yes, fine, it's not as natural as breast milk. But not all mammary glands are perfect. Some are overworked and some don't even work at all! A baby died from dehydration because the mother was taught to believe the incessant amount of crying and long hours of breastfeeding was normal, but it appeared she didn't produce milk at all and the baby basically slept for a few hours because it was exhausted from the hunger... the baby could've been saved by one bottle formula.
So... can we change it to # worldbabyfeedingweek ? Because no matter what or how you feed a baby, shouldn't be society's dictation.
I breastfed my firstborn for less than a year because I fell pregnant again and I only plan to breastfeed my second born until she's one year old. But please don't call that achievement a "graduation" (which I notice a lot of Indo mothers write). I don't pump therefore I don't stock up and who the fuck wants to eat frozen milk? The nutritious value depleted when you freeze breast milk and thaw it again. Freshly made is best, in my humble opinion. (Well I probably sound like an asshole, but whatever) breastfeeding bridesmaid dress
But you know what I hear a lot when people find this out? "Oh, you don't want to breastfeed them until they are 2?" "It's a shame, why not breastfeed them when you still can?"
My answers are:
No, I'll feed them for as long as they request it. No, I'll feed them until I can no longer bear the pain of having someone gnaw on one of your most sensitive part of the body.
This is my body, not yours, not my babies', not his, nor theirs. It also apply to my girls, their bodies, their decisions. They want to drink formula? I'll teach them the patience of making a bottle of it. They want to breastmilk again? I'll teach them to use their teeth for something else.
So ladies, mommies, grandmas, please be mindful of a mother's milking journey. Call me selfish or whatever, but don't force your will/idea of how to feed a child upon others. The child will tell you what they need and want, it is up to you to listen to them.
Don't call me # pejuangASI ( # breastmilkwarrior ) just call me a mother, who is doing her hardest to raise her spawns. Stop the mentality of forgetting mothers who don't breastfeed, they are warriors too, you know, with feelings and all that emotional shits.