Breast Feeding

Why would I even care about Gisele Bundchen's opinion about breast feeding? Well, I have a horror story of my own about being bullied into spending hours with my "A" cups hooked up to an unmerciful motorized breast pump days after the 8 week premature birth of my son. And, there's also a possibility the blog will pop up in some search engine with the Gisele mention.

First, if you can breast feed, do it. I would have if I could. I support public breast feeding. The reality, not everyone can do it. In 2004, my son was born at 32 weeks. I had HELLP Syndrome and my organs were failing. The only cure was to end my pregnancy. So, my doctors delivered my son by C-section.

I never had that whole filling with breast milk that usually happens to pregnant women. In fact, my bra size only went up because of my increased circumference.

Long story short, a few days after delivering my son, a breast feeding nurse came in to counsel me. I guess she didn't read my chart because she tried to scare me by telling me, "Your child will be protected from getting certain autoimmune diseases if you breast feed." Being a breast fed child myself, the only thing stopping me from taking my IV stand and beating her with it were witnesses. My ex husband also threw in, "Honey, you're a mom now and your son has to come first. You have to try." or something like that. I was in the middle of a morphine induced haze while being given medication to get my blood pressure down from 200/99. (hence the term ex)

Once released from the hospital, I spent way too much time with the breast pump and after days of tears and stress with less than an ounce of breast milk to show for it, I stuck with the formula the NICU had been feeding my son. The stigma of not breast feeding your baby is beyond annoying. The time and stress I put upon myself could've been better spent with my son in the NICU.

My son is now a healthy six year old about to start first grade. Not having breast milk has not impeded his development. He is short because he was 8 weeks premature and I am very lucky he's as healthy as he is for as early as he arrived.

Thanks Gisele for the remark. You may have helped spread awareness for Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis by helping with my search engine placement.

Some reading if you like
HELLP Syndrome
Preeclampsia Foundation
March of Dimes
Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns