Do you find breastfeeding a chore?

[kerrie24]

Someone had commented on another thread that they stopped breastfeeding cos they associated their breasts with sex and also didnt want to be always wearing a bra for bed.(I hope that person doesnt mind me picking out her reasons)
It got me thinking do some women 'put up with' breastfeeding for the health benefits etc or does anyone actually find it enjoyable and... (I want to say easy but I dont mean that,I cant find the words,I know its not easy!?)

I actually didnt mind if Owen had formula,Im not against it and whilst I am aware of them,I didnt particularly bf for the health benefits.I just find it a nice thing to do and feel like its rewarding to both me and my son.

Anybody just trying to grin and bear it for babies sake?

Also,I dont wear a bra for bed,and never use breastpads,I thought they were just for the early days?My friend does though and her baby is 10 months.
Do any of you still need to?

 

[SazzleR]

I'm one of those who just grins & bears it! I do it to give my son the best start & if it wasn't for the health benefits for him I'd have stopped ages ago. But my attitude to it probably isn't helped by the fact that I still get the odd crack & it can still be painful due to his imperfect latch from an uncut tongue tie. I'm stopping at 6 months. That was my goal & we're almost there & from then he'll be FF.

Oh & I still wear breastpads because when I get let down the boob I'm not feeding from leaks all over the place!

 

[KarenMc]

I bf for all the benefits and because of the risks of ff. I have really enjoyed every minutr second time around, no pain or problems. Also not needing to pump too much as wahm is great!

 

[Lightworker]

Honestly? For the most part I enjoy it. With both children formula never even crossed my mind. Overall I enjoy BFing, its a lovely way to bond, and every stage and every age there's always a positive. When they are younger, its the getting to know them, and learning their features etc. As they get older and more mobile, its additional bonding time over a book, a cuddle etc.

Having said that though, man, sometimes its a case of grinning and bearing it, my LO does not STTN, she is teething, has a cold, and feeding almost permanently and its wearing me out. So sometimes, I do just grin and bare it, but thats only under these extreme circumstances. x

 

[Lauki]

Before she was here I thought it was gonna be a piece of cake so really looked forward to it! Then she was born and for the first 6 weeks I grinned (or rather cried) and beared it.
Now I love it most of the time, apart from the 8th time at night she wakes up and needs to suckle for a few minutes in order to fall asleep again! But I suppose that's not really breastfeeding.

I love sitting there and watching her feed and sometimes she gives me a massive grin while feeding and milk dribbels out her mouth. But yea, it can also be really hard and frustrating if she wakes up often at night. Then again, I don't suppose formula would make that any easier would it?

 

[T-Bex]

If I'm 100% honest, until Bethan was about 9/10 months old, I did it because I wanted to make sure that she didn't have the health problems that I have (I'm covered, head to toe in eczema, and had to drop out of uni because of it, and was wheelchair bound for months - I would have cut of my right hand to make sure Bethan didn't have that happen to her) and because I refuse to pay for something I make for free, and those were the only reasons I did it. I didn't feel bonded to her through feeding, and I didn't enjoy it; I did it because that's how babies are fed. End of story. I found the whole thing quite boring, and I didn't ever sit and stroke her lovingly - I usually read a book, watched telly, or was on facebook on my phone. (I think I may have had a touch of PND, looking back, though...)

And then as she got older, and I could stop feeding if I wanted to, I realised how good a tool it was in the lazy mum arsenal! If she was whinging on a bus journey - boob. If she hurt herself - boob. If I wanted some more sleep - boob. If I'd forgotten to pack a snack/drink - boob. If I needed a break from running around after her - boob. Calming down at bedtime device - boob. Way to demonstrate my 'hippy' credentials - boob! It just makes my life 100 times easier to breastfeed.

I just reread that, and I sound really cold towards my child!

P.S I've never worn a bra in bed!

 

[jessie_m]

I'm like Lauki where I thought it was going to be easy, and it turned out tobe one of the hardest things I have ever done. I'm going to sound horrible saying this, but since we're being honest....

I felt used. I know that sounds rediculous, but with the hormones and the baby blues, I resented her for like 2 weeks because I felt like I was a cow or something. I felt like all she wanted from me was to eat, and she ate often throughout the night and made it impossible to sleep, plus I was recovering from a c-section which was horribly painful up until about a week or so ago. So until now, yes, I grinned and bared it because it is what is best for her, and it's free.

However, now things are starting to settle down, the baby blues are slowly fading (for good, I hope) and she's getting herself into a routine so that I know when to be awake and when to sleep so that I get enough sleep to not go bat shit insane, and, dare i say it, I actually enjoy feeding her. She even has thrush right now that we are giving medicine for, so my nipples are horribly sore, and she insists on thrashing about at times and hitting, sctatching, pinching my boobs, but it doesn't give me anxiety like it used to. It just makes me laugh and reminds me that I can use that against her when I'm older

I really believe that it does get better with time once you and the baby start to figure each other out.

Plus I've already lost all of my pregnancy weight (33 pounds) plus 10 more which i completely attribute to breast feeding. I can't wait until she's a little more independant so I can have my body back and go out more often, but I wouldn't trade this for the world.

That got a little wordy. My bad.

 

[firsttimer80]

I have only been BFing 2 weeks and i already feel like its a chore.
I always wanted to because i thought it would be amazing, bonding and all that.
Now i am only sticking with it because of the benefits and i couldnt live with the guilt if i stopped as its best for him.
But i am so sore all the time and its hard work, i cant get comfortable and my milk comes out really fast and has made him sick a few times.
I dread the next feed and it shouldnt be like that... just hoping it gets better as its only been 2 weeks!!! the baby blues make everything worse

 

[jessie_m]

I have only been BFing 2 weeks and i already feel like its a chore.
I always wanted to because i thought it would be amazing, bonding and all that.
Now i am only sticking with it because of the benefits and i couldnt live with the guilt if i stopped as its best for him.
But i am so sore all the time and its hard work, i cant get comfortable and my milk comes out really fast and has made him sick a few times.
I dread the next feed and it shouldnt be like that... just hoping it gets better as its only been 2 weeks!!! the baby blues make everything worse

I'm about a month in and already its getting easier. Not completely better, but definitely easier. I never felt the bonding until now, and it's only a slight feeling of bonding. Hang in there, You're doing a wonderful thing. Use this section. I came here a few times to get the ladies to talk me into keeping it up.

 

[firsttimer80]

I have only been BFing 2 weeks and i already feel like its a chore.
I always wanted to because i thought it would be amazing, bonding and all that.
Now i am only sticking with it because of the benefits and i couldnt live with the guilt if i stopped as its best for him.
But i am so sore all the time and its hard work, i cant get comfortable and my milk comes out really fast and has made him sick a few times.
I dread the next feed and it shouldnt be like that... just hoping it gets better as its only been 2 weeks!!! the baby blues make everything worse

I'm about a month in and already its getting easier. Not completely better, but definitely easier. I never felt the bonding until now, and it's only a slight feeling of bonding. Hang in there, You're doing a wonderful thing. Use this section. I came here a few times to get the ladies to talk me into keeping it up.

Thanks, thats good to hear.
I have been saying to myself keep going until 1 month then make the decision then and in the hope that it will be better by then anyway.
I did give him expressed milk from a bottle last night which helped as my nipples got a break but i felt guilty!!!

 

[jessie_m]

I have only been BFing 2 weeks and i already feel like its a chore.
I always wanted to because i thought it would be amazing, bonding and all that.
Now i am only sticking with it because of the benefits and i couldnt live with the guilt if i stopped as its best for him.
But i am so sore all the time and its hard work, i cant get comfortable and my milk comes out really fast and has made him sick a few times.
I dread the next feed and it shouldnt be like that... just hoping it gets better as its only been 2 weeks!!! the baby blues make everything worse

I'm about a month in and already its getting easier. Not completely better, but definitely easier. I never felt the bonding until now, and it's only a slight feeling of bonding. Hang in there, You're doing a wonderful thing. Use this section. I came here a few times to get the ladies to talk me into keeping it up.

Thanks, thats good to hear.
I have been saying to myself keep going until 1 month then make the decision then and in the hope that it will be better by then anyway.
I did give him expressed milk from a bottle last night which helped as my nipples got a break but i felt guilty!!!

I did too the first time I did that, but it was nice just to get a little break and let OH feed her. I wouldn't do it too often because they say babies may get nipple confused and mess up their latch if they bottle feed too often, but Aubrey has had the occasional (like MAYBE once a week) expressed milk bottle and is fine.

 

[Celesse]

To begin with it was so hard and I struggled and felt like I had to continue. But then as she got bigger it got easier and nicer and wonderful.

 

[Bumpontherun]

Hmmmm, if I had been asked thiswhen I stopped feeding DD1 at 14 months I would have said no it was a wonderful bonding experience etc etc. Now I have a newborn again it feels like a chore. I hate having to sit feeding when there is stuff around the house needing done. I hate the feeding all night malarky and honestly last night if I'd had a bottle of formula she'd have been given it But I know in 3 months time I'll be feeling super smug about how easy feeding my baby is and the whole lazy mum thing is soooo true - boob solves everything! So I would say yes in thhe newborn period it is a chore but once I hit 3-4 months I'll probably enjoy it again

Also I didn't wear a bra in bed last time but am having to this time and I hate it.

 

[StarlitHome]

I've only been doing it for 3 weeks but, no, I don't find it to be a chore. I love snuggling my baby and knowing that I'm giving her the best for her.
I have twin brothers that were formula-fed and I helped A LOT with that (my mom got sick in hospital right after they were born and so my dad and I and my other siblings did night feedings and day feedings and such) and it was so gross and smelly and messy. I knew then and there, the first time I fed my brother with a bottle, that I was going to BF my own babies!!

 

[ashley2pink]

At the moment yes, more like a chore, but my daughter is 4 weeks and nurses a ton and keeps me up a lot at night. I felt this way as well the first 3 months with my last dd. I'm just sticking to it and I know it will get enjoyable soon enough

 

[ashley2pink]

Also, I absolutely have to wear nursing pads and a bra all day and night. I leak a lot. I bf my last dd until 24 months and while I did leak only minimally after a year I still had to wear a bra with nursing pads because I still leaked a little. But the first year I leak between nursings, but especially while nursing, the other side sprays as well

 

[firsttimer80]

me too, have to wear a bra as i leak all the time

 

[emyandpotato]

I breast feed for myself. When I tried to stop I felt I had failed as a mum and was incredibly embarrassed about FF. I wanted the elusive BF bond I'd heard about. Health benefits were only a small part of it.

That said atm I find it a massive chore as I'm still struggling to get it right and it hurts and LO gets distressed. I don't think I'll see it that way in a few months though.

 

[ashley2pink]

I have only been BFing 2 weeks and i already feel like its a chore.
I always wanted to because i thought it would be amazing, bonding and all that.
Now i am only sticking with it because of the benefits and i couldnt live with the guilt if i stopped as its best for him.
But i am so sore all the time and its hard work, i cant get comfortable and my milk comes out really fast and has made him sick a few times.
I dread the next feed and it shouldnt be like that... just hoping it gets better as its only been 2 weeks!!! the baby blues make everything worse

I am feeling much better about bf'ing than I did the first 3 weeks. I had baby blues and I was really overwhelmed and almost jealous of women who so easily ff. I know I can never ff. No matter how hard bf'ing gets. So it does get better once the baby blues haze disappears and will just get better and better as baby starts to sleep better and nursing isnt painful anymore.

 

[moomin_troll]

sometimes bf drives me crazy, when coreys on 24/7 n it can feel like a chore. but anyway u feed a baby can feel that way...my first was ff as bf just didnt work for him and me.

i am spending a fortune on breastpads tho lol but hes only 6 weeks old.

as for breastfeeding giving such a great bond....i think its bull, my first was ff n second being bf and the bond i have with them both is amazing