I recently did a guest post on the Fearless Formula Feeder, which is a rehashed and updated (not to mention a little more edited and grammatically correct..er kinda) of my post Confessions of a formula feeding mama back in September last year.
If anyone knows me, they know how passionate I am about this subject. I think its ridiculous the amount of pressure put on new mums to breastfeed and the guilt inflicted when they can't or choose not to.
Unfortunately, I'm not fearless at all and wow how i went back and forth after i sent the post off to Suzie at FFF! Comments about how selfish i am still reduce me to tears. I still sit up late at night reading lactivist blogs and torturing myself with their comments. When someone asks me how long i breastfed for I still balk at telling them the truth, because i know the looks I will get and the judging that will ensue.
One day I hope I can be Fearless.
But really, deep down, one day I hope that I don't need to be fearless.
4 comments:
Honey, you are one of the most fearless people I "know" (I mean, I feel like I know you, even though we've never met... I hope we get to, someday). You have more guts in your little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. Don't ever doubt that.
Thanks for sharing this and for you comments on my blog.
I started a mailing list just now, for support of NZers feeding from bottles, be it formula or pumped. - for mothers, fathers, whanau who want info. I don't have most of the answers, but a place to support each other is somewhere to start.
http://groups.google.com/group/bottlesnz
I've sent a couple invites, so we can get a small group of openminded people there to get the ball rolling.
I just wanted to say that I read your story over at FFF, and I'm so sorry you have to deal with all that social pressure. I felt bad enough about myself in the privacy of my home. I can't imagine the crap you have to deal with when everyone at work is bfing.
I didn't breastfeed my 1st due to too much hassle trying to get him to latch on, my 2nd i only breatfed her for 3 months due to mastitis (which i fed through) and other problems, people need to learn to be more open minded, and if they have a problem its within themselves not others.
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