Speaking of Nursing

I just happened to mention nursing in the last post. I'm now reminded that I am a huge proponent of breastfeeding for a variety of reasons, some of which I will list... I would probably never say anything to a woman who quit nursing because I know we all make the decisions for out families that we think are right for our circumstances, but I am still amazed at the number of educated women who do not know or don't believe that breastmilk is the gold-standard of food for an infant. I mean, even the formula makers market their products by saying that it's closer to breastmilk and more like mothers' milk and whatnot.

So, here are my top 10 reasons to breastfeed
1. Convenient (always right temp and ready in middle of night)
2. Nothing calms a fussy baby better
3. Very cheap (and have you priced out formula?)
4. Good for the environment (no hot water/energy to wash bottles, no steel for formula cans, no garbage, no waste, no energy/heat for the water to mix the formula, no energy to transport the formula)
5. Good for mothers (reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer and also lowers fertility for better child spacing)
6. Good for babies (amino acids are good for brain and eye development, composition changes for each feeding and as the baby grows to meet the current needs, reduces risk of ear infections and SIDS, reduces severity and likelihood of allergies, reduces likelihood of childhood leukemia)
7. Really good in case of natural disaster or emergency (like if you're caught in the car without bottles during a blizzard, have no water after an earthquake/hurricane, or are held hostage in a bank without your diaper bag because you were just running in...can you tell I saw the commercials for "The Nine"?)
8. Natural mother's nipple promotes proper jaw development
9. Promotes gut flora colonization so baby can digest foods better
10. Babies are less likely to be picky eaters since they have been exposed to a variety of tastes and flavors already in the milk

Now for some downsides (and proposed solutions):
1. Mom is the only one who can feed the baby in teh middle of the night (someone else can offer a bottle of either breastmilk or....after a month or so of formula). I waited 7 months until I got an overnight relief bottle and I wish I had done it about 3 months sooner, but it won't kill anyone.
2. Tied to the baby (well, yeah, they need you, but you can pump and work and everything)
3. Inconvenient (I don't believe this....I have heard it, but I don't get it)
4. It hurts (only for 2-3 weeks in the beginning or if something is wrong (bad latch, infection), fix teh bad and it is great)
5. Dad can't bond with the baby (there are 900 million other ways to bond with a baby besides feeding it from diapers to snuggling to cuddling to books to making funny facing to bouncing so you please stop crying)
6. Stuck in the house (learn how to nurse discreetly or plan your trips around feedings or embrace your inner hippie and show it all to the world...feeding your baby is not dirty)