Great post babe, seriously. Just from my own point of view, and I know i'll be the one gets shot, I usually am lol. But I have come to a point in my parenting where I realise that it doesnt' matter what I feed her bf or ff whether she's cloth bummed or sposies, whether she's immunised or not whether she co sleeps or not. Someone is ALWAYS going to have a problem with it. But you know what tan, that's completely ok. Cause its MY baby and she's happy and healthy and fed and loved and I couldn't give 2 hoots what anyone else thinks and that's just my point of view. Ask me this when I first had dd and it was a completely different story. I desperately wanted to bf dd and you know why? Cause I would be made to feel like **** if I didn't. And anybody can deny that and debate that, but it's true. It happens all the time. I did the best job that I could for 3 months and in the end I couldnt' do it anymore. It wasn't helping her and it wasn't helping me. I was exhausted, she was exhausted so I made the switch. But it wasn't easy. I cried myself into hysteria for 2 weeks. No joke. I cried all the bloody time and why? Cause i'd be the big bad terrible mother that didn't realise 'breast was best' and that I wasn't able to do what I SHOULD be doing. I guess tan, my point is, I totally understand that you want to feel supported. Especially on somewhere like here. I too wanted to be supported in my decision. I even had one bb member tell me that I was selfish and that my decision wasn't what was best for dd but what was best for myself and that I wasn't doing it for her. Which, again, made me feel like worst mother of the year 2008. But now I just laugh. And so should you tan. You wanna ff then bloody do it! and feel proud that you ARE doing what is best for your baby. Do people honestly think that you wouldn't be? Like what people go "oh I know that bf is better but stuff it, I am going to MALICIOUSLY give them ff?" no they don't. you get by the best way you know how. Don't look for validation babe, you don't need it. Your doing a great job and that's just the way I think. My daughter is healthy, happy as your kids are and that's all that matters. I work my butt off caring for her and feeding her and making sure she knows she's loved and well looked after. And I don't need a medal for that, we all do it as mothers. And that's just my opinion .. let the witch hunt begin lol
And Kudos to your Kirsty. Well done and it's great you are so comfy about your decisions.
For me my si\tuation was so very different. I was battered and bruised because of all the "you're mad for continuing bla bla blah... That's the flip side. And my goodness it was no picnic. Sometimes I cannot believe what I went through! But like you Kirsty I continued to follow my dreams and goals and what my heart was telling me to do in the voice of all the nay sayers. I think what I am saying is that there are people who judge every decision. My situation was that I was not supported much at all by the general community to continue to breastfeed. Thankfully I had very proactive and physically spportive friends, care providers and my own experience.
So, I truly get how we need to feel comfortable in our decisions. Our choices. Becuase they are ours. And surely there were nights of 2 hour feedings and bleeding nipples and mastitis when I thought: "they were right" (amidst loud sobs and blubbers!). But I did what was right for me and my child/ren.
We have to do what is right for us. We have to follow our heartsong. And you are absolutely correct Kirsty it is only us who we have to go to bed with at night. We each have our own choices. It's reconciling them and owning them that's the hard stuff (in my experience...)
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Thanks for sharing and being so frank Kirsty...
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