Quote:
Originally posted by bundy
...i had no idea about how this may be a traumatic experience for the mother...
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It sure can be traumatic. That's party why the percentage of mothers who nurse past 6 months is so very low. Don't quote me but I think the last number I read for past 6 months is 13%. Mother's truely need support during the first few months of breastfeeding especially.
I don't want you to think that the trauma of adjusting to breastfeeding isn't worth it though. Personally I found it well worth it. Breastfeeding not only benefits the child but the mother as well. After birth and without dieting at all I managed to loose 60lbs in 9 months. I even had a c-section that somewhat limited my activity. Breastfeeding helps you loose weight and helps your reproductive organs return to normal. It protects them against future cancers as well. There are also some preliminary studies that point to breastfeeding as possibly helping to alieviate PPD.
During my daughter's first year of life she only got sick with a cold once, and the stomach flu once. She recovered quickly and didn't get severely sick. When she had the stomach flu she was still able to nurse and that seemed to be one of the only things she could keep down. Juice or water seemed to cause her to throw up within minutes. She never had any ear infections that first year. I was a bit surprised at how well she was that first year since I went to work part time about a month after she was born. I worked in a day care and she went with me. She was the object of attention for most of the other children in the day care.
One of the other hard things for nursing mothers is going to work. They feel like it's a waste to nurse only part time but the health benefits have been shown to be effective even with part time breastfeeding.
My sister-in-law was unable to continue breastfeeding after about a month. I gave her the support she wanted but her mother was extremely negative about her nursing. It's a sensitive subject for some.
The AMA and AAP both have made statements in support and encouraging breastfeeding but public opinion in general can still be a bit intimidating to some mothers. Part of the reason I was willing and able to continue breastfeeding for 3 years was the information I had armed myself with even prior to pregnancy. If I hadn't been convinced of the benefits then I would definately not have wanted to continue through the problems that I experienced to begin with.