Feeding rant (long post, feel free to share your own grievances!)
I am 31 weeks pregnant with our one and only double rainbow, and eagerly awaiting her arrival in late july via scheduled csection. As such, hubs and i discussed a feeding plan. That plan is to exclusively formula feed, for multiple reasons including the fact that I need to get back on my regular medication for my depression. I have looked into/tried other antidepressants that are supposed to be safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding but they do not work for me and I have been on mine (Trazodone 100mg daily) for literal years at this point. I stopped it when I found out I was pregnant as it crosses the placenta and in such a high dosage it can cause toxicity in neonates. Now here is the issue;
Every time I see "breast is best" I want to rip my hair out! It's always from self righteous people who will try to coerce or guilt you into giving breastfeeding a try or finding donor milk or even just pumping, all while claiming that it helps reduce post partum depression and everything like that. I agree that breastfeeding is AMAZING! It is crazy how our bodies can create and support another human being with just the fuel we provide ourselves and that is a wonderful thing! I do not agree with the entire "breast is best" campaign. For my family, and millions of others, FED IS BEST. however that happens, as long as baby is eating and growing why does it bother people whether or not my baby eats from me?? I would rather have my daughter drinking formula so she doesnt unnecessarily get exposed to HIGH levels of SSRI's while I take care of my mental health over breastfeeding and unable to do anything for myself, including bathe. Major Clinical Depression is not something that just goes away in most people and I am so tired of hearing the rhetoric that breastfeeding solves all mental health issues. It doesnt, and in alot of cases can actually make people's PPD WORSE!
Again, if you are breastfeeding or planning to, I commend you, I am glad you find that to be the best decision for your body and your baby. It is not the best decision for *my body* or *my baby* and I am exhausted by having to defend my stance on this.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far!đź©·
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Girl yes. This is exactly my experience. I tried to breastfeed my first and got to a point at 2 weeks pp where I was ready to not be there. My husband had to beg me at 4 am one night to stop because I was so indoctrinated with the whole “breast is best” garbage that I couldn’t let go. My mom was one of the people pushing me to breastfeed and 2 years later I’m only just now telling her how hard it truly was for me. She sobbed and told me she was just trying to do what was best for my daughter and wasn’t thinking about me. That’s the situation far too often. My grandmother in law didn’t care and told me I would have lost the weight if I breastfed.
I’m with you, I agree that breast milk is probably a healthier option for babies, but the truly “best” option is a mother who has the ability to love and care for them. Also, humans don’t always need the healthiest most perfect option. I’m over the obsession with perfection.
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