A Post About Breastfeeding

Last night, Brett & I attended a class on Breastfeeding. I thought it would be kinda weird, but actually the instructor was really fun and made everything very comfortable and very informative. (I was really excited to hear that our hospital has 14 lactation consultants on staff! 14! And one will automatically be sent to talk to us about 24 hrs. after the baby is born. And she will be all mine, to ask all the questions I might have!) Both of us, I think, feel much more informed now, and ready to conquer a task we have never attempted. I have heard so many good things about breastfeeding, there was never a question about whether that would be my chosen method of nourishment for my child. But I have also heard so many stories of people failing at it, for some reason or another. So I promised myself I would definately give it a try-- a really good try-- but I would not be hard on myself if for some reason it wasn't for me. (Granted, we have not even considered what our budget would look like if we had to fork over $70/ month for formula, but we'll cross that bridge if/when we get to it.)

After the class last night, I really feel it can be done. It will be time-consuming: newborn babies feed 8-12 times in 24 hours?!-- and most of the time, it's on their own timing, not any kind of schedule (no schedule?-- eek!). It might be painful the first few weeks. It will be trying. But I know the benefits, I know the results. (Did you know that children who are breastfed generally get higher results on IQ tests? I won't go into anymore of that. I know plenty of people have very legitimate reasons for not breastfeeding and I don't want to become any sort of psycho anti-formula advocate.) And I think the end results far outweigh any difficulties it may take to get there (which is also my current attitude towards labor & delivery of the baby). My concerns: Will I really know when the baby is hungry? Will I know when she has had enough to eat? Will I feel as if I'm constantly attached to the baby, with no time to myself? I don't really need reassurance or answers, I'm just being candid.