How to Handle Breastfeeding Bullies
While you try your best to breastfeed your baby, certain situations can affect how much and for how long you can breastfeed. If you are facing difficulties in breastfeeding, this could be for various underlying reasons. Remember, you are certainly not up for criticism.
Breast milk has numerous health and nutritional benefits for your baby including reduced risk of diseases like obesity, respiratory problems and ear infection. However, medical conditions such as low breast milk production or returning to work after delivery may force you to choose formula feed for your baby instead – perfectly understandable!
Who Is a Breastfeeding Bully?
Many mothers who don’t breastfeed are constantly bombarded with indirect (and often in the face!) criticism from some sections of society. They belong to the self-righteous moral police of breastfeeding bullies who simply fail to understand why women do not breastfeed. With them around, it will be impossible for you to get over the “guilt” of not breastfeeding.
The truth is, breastfeeding has been given so much importance since ancient times that society often becomes judgmental when some mommies choose a different path. The continual social pressure can eventually make it extremely difficult for you to focus on your baby’s well-being.
5 Facts to Help Deal With Breastfeeding Bullies
If you are not breastfeeding your baby on account of circumstances, this is completely alright. These 5 facts will help you deal with the bullies and also will help you cope up with the guilty feeling for not breastfeeding your little munchkin.
- Yes, formula milk isn’t as perfect as breast milk but people need to understand that it does not have any ill effects on the baby either. Formula manufactured for babies is made with safe ingredients proven to aid their growth and development.
- Breast-feeding, if continued for a very long time can actually harm the baby! The little one can get too accustomed to it and may not want to try formula milk or solids even when it is high time.
- Breast milk is low in amounts of fat. While this is ideal for newborns, your baby needs more fat to gain adequate weight as he grows up. This is true especially for the preemies or premature infants.
- For those who think bottle-feeding or giving solid food is easy, you know better! You need to sterilise the equipment and make your baby accustomed to bottle-feeding – both time consuming and difficult! Tell the bullies that mothers who do not breastfeed are not lazy or unenthusiastic but just in different circumstances.
- If mothers exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, it might lead to deficiency of iron in some cases. This affects the baby’s optimal growth, and puts the baby off certain flavors. They find it very difficult to switch to a new diet.
Given that formula-feed is also nutritious and nourishing for the baby, you can put your mind at rest. The most important thing to remember amidst this hullabaloo is that you must stay guilt-free and not compel yourself to do as the breastfeeding bullies say!
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