Bottles From the Beginning

As moms we all want the very best for our children and along the way we all have to make our own decisions as to what we think that “best” is.

Long before I became pregnant with my first child I knew I would not be breast-feeding. Not sure what it was, but  I just never had that internal urge to, and so I didn’t. Maybe it was because I was not breastfed or maybe not, I just knew it wasn’t for me.

Being a young, first time pregnant mom to be, I had no clue how sensitive people were on this topic, but I quickly found out! I remember how people used to look at me and almost act like they needed to “save” me when hearing I wasn’t breast-feeding. It’s such a personal issue as is, but I couldn’t believe how easily people, sometimes strangers, felt as though it was okay to question me on this topic.

I was completely comfortable with my decision. I knew this was the right choice for me and my family. What I didn’t like was feeling like people were judging me. And unfortunately it came a lot.

I clearly remember when both of my boys were born. Once they were cleaned up following the delivery,  the nurses  brought them to me, and shortly thereafter  they handed me a little bottle of Similac and our feeding journey started right there. There’s nothing sweeter than hearing your baby take those first sips! One thing I never ever felt like I missed out on by not breast-feeding is the bonding time. Whatever way you’re feeding your baby, having them look up at you while feeding is a special time. Lucky for me, my husband got to experience those sweet times as well.

By six months, I was mixing rice cereal with their formula, then I slowly began to introduce solids. By a year they were both off formula completely. I have two very adorable, healthy, smart,  little boys who are thriving! I am not, and have never been, ashamed of my decision to formula feed. The only thing  I wish is that people wouldn’t put so much pressure on women to breast feed. Moms have enough pressure as is and we all are just trying to do what we think is the best for our kids. My hope is that as we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, we can all take a moment and celebrate all the moms and their decisions to love, protect, and raise their little ones!