In Defense of Moms On The Bottle
63
Get Out of My Bra, and Out of My Business
I am a proud bottle feeder by choice.
When I had my first child, I knew I wouldn’t even be making an attempt at breast feeding, for reasons that were all my own. They could make those little “privacy shawls” in any hip fabric that they wanted. Brown paisley on a hot pink background, whatever. It didn’t matter a bit (and I am a real accessory whore, let me tell you.) It's just never been my thing. Even before the baby was born, people would ask "So, are you planning to breast feed?" as casually as if they were asking whether I preferred paper or plastic.
I felt that choosing to bottle feed was my desicion to make, and people would respect that decision once the baby came. I was one wrong mother.
It started in the hospital.
I was in recovery from my first delivery. Our son was a stubborn little cuss. He didn’t want to come out, and as a result was the recipient of the business end of a mini Hoover. Interestingly, no one passed judgment on my choice for a vacuum assist. You simply have to do what’s right for you, right? Nevermind that I later learned that vacuum extractions are a leading cause of cranial trauma and brain damage during vaginal deliveries, and that I could have just put my yet-unborn child in grave danger. But no judgments were uttered.
As Jack finally came into the world, I felt like I wanted to leave it. I was in a daze as I was stitched, swabbed, and suctioned back into some sad semblance of my former child-birthing self. I was shocked at what my body had endured.
But finally, the boy was in my arms, and I was in love. Every post-delivery cliche rang true - I wanted to protect him and nurture him and give him the best of everything that life had to offer, and I had only been holding him for a few short seconds. It wasn't long after that that I was judged for the very first time as a mother.
They called her a "Lactation Consultant" but in my mind, I still call her the "Breastfeeding Nazi." She came gliding into my hospital room on a cloud of perfume and pomposity, and she reached for my newborn as though she owned him. She was dressed in street clothes and an iffy-looking badge, and I was not about to fall victim to some weird post-delivery kidnapping scam.
"Can I help you?" I asked, defensively.
"Actually, I am the one who is here to help you. I'm the lactation consultant. I'm going to help you get started with your breastfeeding."
"No need. I'm not breast-feeding, thanks."
The words fell like nuclear snow in the hospital room. Monitors stopped beeping, the patient across the hall stopped her labor-moaning, and the local weatherman on the TV above my bed fell silent, mid-forecast. They all paused to gaze at me in shocked disbelief. The "consultant" led their inquisition.
"You're NOT BREASTFEEDING? Do you mind if I ask WHY?"
I should have said "Actually, I'd prefer not to discuss it" or "Yes, I mind you asking." I didn't. Instead, I launched into my "it's just not for me, and that's my choice" litany. I was halted in mid sentence by her palm facing out toward my face, as though she was Diana Ross or some lesser Supreme, stopping me in the name of love.
"You DO realize that it's the best thing for your baby, right? And that you are not doing him any favors by denying him all of the benefits of breastmilk, correct? It really is the best thing for him."
I could feel the still-sticky hair standing up on the back of my neck.
"You can just go. I will be bottle feeding him."
She pursed her pouty lips and shoved a clip board in front of me for a signature.
I scrawled my initials next to the box labeled "REFUSES SERVICES."
Of course it didn't end there.
If you are looking for lots of free, unsubstantiated info on the advantages of breastfeeding over bottle feeding, just leave your house with a newborn, and feed him in public with a bottle. In the beginning, I got loads of free "advice" from "well-meaning" strangers, and even from some of my "friends." Initially, I just listened and nodded politely as they regurgitated bits of half-digested articles from magazines.
I was an oddity, an amusement, a member of the minority class. I actually didn't mind that. I even got used to it. What I did mind (and still do) is people's lack of respect for my decision. What I never got used to was the judgement and the assumption that I am a selfish, "bad" mom for "denying" my child the boob juice in favor of formula.
Being a new mom is hard enough without the little snide comments or remarks. Do I comment when I see kids on the playground not wearing sun screen or riding bikes without helmets? Do I make remarks when friends tell me that their 3 year old has to be put under sedation to have 3 cavities filled? Do I raise my brows when someone tells me their kid is on Ritalin? Or that they are filing for divorce? Do I approach people in the food court when they allow their children to have regular soda?
No. I don't judge, lest I be judged.
And yet, I have endured the catty slings and arrows of "judgy" fellow moms, who have done many of the above things, and suffered no real consequence. I'm not saying they should, either.
As moms, we do what we think is best for us, and best for our kids. Popular opinion be damned. This is a hell of a hard job, so why not support each other whenever possible, instead of being so critical? Why not try planting a little restraint and respect where all of our assumptions used to grow? Fellow moms will thank you for it.
Let's all raise a bottle - or a boob - and toast to that.
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Comments
Benji, thanks! See there. You were a boob man and you didn't even know it! Thanks so much for reading, and commenting. I appreciate the support.
I saw this one coming. Good read..... I can see what is next. I'm holding my breath because I just know there's one brewing about visiting Grandparents vs Parents ..... I know you.... so give me a heads up when you are about to write that one.
This was good.... but you forgot to write about the willing neighbor who came to visit with a plate of cookies and willing to "show" you how breast feeding is really done in her country!!! Like boobs from other countries are different? Who knows... they just might be.
Nice hub! I cracked up when the weatherman stopped mid-forecast. I'm sure he had a stupid look on his face. I chose to breastfeed all of mine, but it wasn't without negatives. I don't think anyone should be telling anyone which way to go! For sure, I could've done without the pumping on the ambulance! People start looking at you funny when you have a breast pump sitting next to the defibrillator!
Thanks for the read!
This is a great article portraying the real truth....it's just like the 'working vs. non-working mom' crap talking that goes on amongst moms. I have done both, breastfeed and not breastfeed. For ME, they were both great, but that's ME. Good job, mama :O)
Amen, Mother Hubber! Consider mine raised! (My bottle that is)
Mom, it's funny you bring up the whole parents/grandparents thing. I have already started brainstorming the name of the article. . ."Grandparent Detox: "Promises" for the Pre-School Set" Watch for it!
Amy, thanks for the props! I would have paid good money to see some old guy go into cardiac arrest because you were pumping on the ambulance. Now THAT is what I call a working mama!!
Salina, thanks for the shout out! I have also thought about writing a Hub on the battle that always rages between the "Working Moms" versus the "Non-Working" moms. I've done both, so I think I could be fair! Thanks for reading & commenting!
Proud Mom, so glad you liked it! :-) Thanks for toasting with me!
This is a great hub, written with humor and cleverness. A while back I wrote a long article on the subject (and it was absolutely without any humor). During research I ran into a site for women, by the National Institutes of Health. It mentioned how the government is "encouraging" doctors to "encourage" women to breast feed. Besides the "legitimate" health benefits (which we don't even know for sure have not been exaggerated by someone with an agenda, or which we don't know for sure won't later be outweighed by some new discovery about something in breast milk); this site listed a whole set of reasons to breast feed completely separate from the baby's health.
It pointed out that breast feeding is better for the Earth (no disposable bottles) - ok, a valid point, but nothing to do with the baby.
It pointed out that breast feeding is cheaper, so WIC mothers won't be costing the taxpayer as many dollars if they breast feed. Ok, maybe that should be the government's concern; that's not about the baby's health.
I "loved" this one: The government argued that breastfeeding guarantees that the baby will be held closely at least for as long as he's eating. Well, pardon me for travelling in circles where mothers are normally affectionate with their babies; but bottle-feeding mothers hold their babies close too - and most normal mothers don't just snuggle their baby at meal times.
Without naming names (although I could), I have personal knowledge of a handful of bottle-fed people with IQ's that couldn't get much higher - so whatever study was done on that was not entirely accurate.
I once read something (years ago) that said if a lot of mothers had their milk tested many would find it was not of a quality considered safe enough to "cross state lines".
My kids are grown now, and - you know what? I don't think I've ever actually been brave enough to just out-and-out state that they were bottle fed as infants! (One is adopted. One was a premie, and that involved tube feeding. I have no excuse for bottle-feeding the third one, other than that I have an aversion to breastfeeding and think it's just kind of "gross" - sorry, world. Call me childish and selfish.)
My secure, slender-throughout-childhood kids (with two remaining super, super, slim into adulthood; one is not super, super, slim) were healthy babies and children; and I'm pretty darned pleased with the IQ's they ended up with. :)
So, MotherHubber, thanks for the Hub that has inspired me to finally just be honest after 27 years of sort of not wanting to talk back about this (other than in small, private, cirlces). It was bad when I had my babies. It's worse than ever now. (And you are so right about all the things mothers do that are bad or potentially bad for their children, but that few people seem to even realize are bad.)
(I switched formula brands just in case one company had a manufacturing "issue". That helped reduce the chances my babies would suffer from that type of thing. I used glass bottles when they were newborns and having their formula warmed.)
Very funny. I'll pass this one on to my daughter and let her write her nightmare story on breastfeeding. I was a nursing failure for her; I was so horrified my milk just went away.
Lisa, thank you so much for the comment. I would love to read your article on breastfeeding - is it a Hub? I am travelling, so have not checked yet. If not, please post the link so I can read it.
This is a topic that has fascinated me since my first pregnancy in 2002. So many of the points that you raise are with merit - I just can't shake the feeling that there is some larger agenda behind the whole "push" for breastfeeding. I mean, there are a lot of things that we could do (or not do) for our children that would make them healthier. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but it seems strange to me. Add to that the fact that people - other moms, especially - got so fired up about my choice NOT to breastfeed, and I thought it made for a good Hub. It's my nature to laugh at the absurd, so of course I approached the topic with humor, but I could just as easily write a serious article -or a SERIES or articles, on the topic. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read, and for taking the time to comment.
MotherHubber
Druneric: I would love to read your daughter's article on breastfeeding! BOTTLE FEEDERS UNITE! LOL!!
MH
I have a very close friend who has just given birth, and she chose to breast feed her baby. However, during the second or third day, one nipple was cracking and bleeding, while the other was perfectly fine (despite the fact that she feeds equally out of both), and her "Lactation Consultant" called her a bad mother for feeding her child on the side that was not injured more frequently while the other side healed! She also referred to the female as a Nazi after that, so it was quite amusing to hear that your description was the same! Henceforth, Lactation Consultants shall be called "breastfeeding Nazis!!!"
Rainbow - you say "cracked and bleeding nipple" and I say "honey, pick up a can of formula while you're out." WTF? Is that what it takes to prove that we're good mothers? Cracked, bleeding nipples are the new motherhood badges of valor??? Tell your friend I feel for her. . .and she also had a run in with the Breastfeeding Nazi? LOL. . .they are out there, en masse. I don't get it.
Thanks for the props, and for reading this hub. :-) Appreciate your time.
yeah that's what I told her, but she's dead set on doing it "au natural"....poor stubborn little soul!
My badge of motherhood is the tab top from the "Similac" can.
well i think breast feeding is good for both mother and child and it is necessary...i will say better to cure about your child rather than your boobs...
LOL poor American moms, I feel for you. You don't know what you are missing. I feel for your kids even more, cause this was not their choice to be fed the crap you gave them. Never mind, keep being proud of your choice :)
MotherHubber, the article is at:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/342933/an
Misha, the whole point of this Hub is the women don't feel particularly proud of their choice, particularly in a time when so many people often do exaggerate the benefits of breastfeeding (even while nobody questions the "antibody" aspect of it). In a modern society nobody knows what else babies get with those antibodies, although, as with all science, chances are someone will discover it at some point.
For mothers who have had their bottle-fed children grow up without health problems, and often with fewer infections than the average child has; one might even wonder how important those antibodies really are (or whether their importance is truly understood). (I'm not arguing against antibodies - only pointing out that the world is full of babies/children who were bottles fed and who barely got sick.
It surprises me that someone with a picture of a man for an avatar would think he knows what women are missing by bottle-feeding.
I'm going to risk seeming really obnoxious here, but no need to "feel for" my children. They were super-healthy, fit, secure, well adjusted, barely-ever-cried, babies who turned into older versions of the same with IQ's higher than the vast majority of the population (which, of course, means that they have IQ's higher than a whole lot of breastfed babies). I'm not particularly proud of having bottle-fed, but I am very proud of the babies my children were, and the people they have grown to be.
I'm not "anti-breastfeeding", and people can do what they want; but if other parents would pay a fraction of the attention to other aspects of parenting and child care that they pay to the feeding issue, a whole lot more kids would end up healthier, better adjusted, and more intelligent than many now do.
Based on my friends, my kids' friends, and other kids at my kids' schools along the way; I'm fairly sure that an awful lot of those kids are pretty healthy and intelligent. So, there's no need to "feel for" American mothers and their kids. Of course, I live among middle-class, suburban, American people whose kids are quite fortunate. If you're talking about low income American mothers who live in public housing in bad neighborhoods, and breastfeed because the government wants to encourage them to at least hold their babies for that long, and because the government wants to save the taxpayers some money; well, maybe those babies are ones to "feel for".
As a former bottle-fed baby and super healthy kid myself, trust me - there are a lot of people in a lot of countries who could use someone "feeling for them" a whole lot more than so many fortunate Americans do. :)
Lisa,
I am well aware that Ameicans prefer all artificial, no need to re-iterate this. I still can feel for you guys, cause those are my feelings, and I can feel any way I want :)
As for my opposite gender - both my wives breastfed, and both shared with me their feelings about it. Frankly, after hearing that, I wished I could breastfeed :)
Lisa: Thanks for sharing your article link. I really admire it - fairly writeen and well-researched! I would like to link it to my Hub, if I can ever figure out how to do it. Would that be okay with you? Also thanks for being such a defender of us moms who choose not to breastfeed. This issue, for some reason, is so polarizing (as evidenced by Misha's comment, and several others like it that I have heard). I don't know why people have such strong feelings on the matter, when others choose to do something other than what they would choose for themselves.
Britney: I agree that breastfeeding is good for children - it's just not good for all mothers. The point I wanted to make is that it is a shame to be judged harshly for making the alternative choice to not breastfeed. :-) I respect both methods, and chose the one that was best for our situation.
Misha: Your opinion is one I've heard countless times before, hence the hub. It wasn't intended to sway anyone's opinion, or to evoke sympathy. It was intended to put a smile on the faces of those of us who have the nerve to make our own choices about this and stand by them. You're right, I am proud that I have the balls to say I didn't care to breastfeed, so I didn't, and my children aren't any worse off.
I did, however, bank all 3 of my children's cord blood stem cells, which most parents do not. My husband and I pay an annual storage fee to ensure that someday, 20 years from now, when medicine has evolved and research has allowed us to cure diseases and grow new organs, my children will be able to benefit because we made that choice for them. Should I feel bad for other people's children whose parents didn't make that choice? Because surely, they don't know what they might, potentially, be missing.
Oh, yeah, I forgot, being prone to scams is one of American's vital characteristics, too :)
Instead of giving this blood to all your babies when they need it the most - right after the birth - you cut the cord and save it for some time in future that never comes for the vast majority - cause science told you so...
Well, to be fair all Western culture countries follow this barbarian tradition of cutting the cord prematurely...
I wish I knew that stuff before my babies were born, not after...
LOL!
Misha, the stem cells that are collected in the umbilical sample would have been routinely discarded as medical waste. As for theese "barbaric" western traditions, I guess that is the trade off for having lower infant mortality rates than in any other part of the world.
Re: your comment about Americans falling for "scams" I can tell you that I am proud that so many of us fell for the "scam" of the polio vaccine. I mean, after all, vaccinations are "given for some time in the future that never comes for the vast majority 'cause science told you so." Right?
Or was Jonas Salk an uppity American, too? Maybe he's ok, since he was an American, born and educated in NYC, but to Russian-born parents. :)
"Do I comment when I see kids on the playground not wearing sun screen or riding bikes without helmets? Do I make remarks when friends tell me that their 3 year old has to be put under sedation to have 3 cavities filled? Do I raise my brows when someone tells me their kid is on Ritalin? Or that they are filing for divorce? Do I approach people in the food court when they allow their children to have regular soda?"
Ah, but you do judge those things, don't you? I bet you reckon it's not a great idea for children to be out without suncream, or riding their bikes without a hat, or needing fillings. You chose not to comment, fair enough. Bet you have an opinion on them.
LG, I feel that one can have an opinion on a topic ("it is not a good thing for kids to be out without sunscreen") without judging someone to be a bad parent. I would certainly never make a comment aloud about any of the items that you quoted above. It simply isn't my place to inject those opinions.
Again, what strikes me as interesting about the topic of breast vs. bottle feeding is how polarizing it is, and how often I was/am openly confronted about my decision.
Thanks for reading!
Well, here you openly stated you are proud of it and others can have their opinions for themselves, it sorta naturally promotes the outburst of opinions on both sides :)
Coming back to umbilical cord - yes I think it is a barbaric tradition to cut it before placenta is out. Nature knows better than us what to do, and the less we interfere - the better. My guess is that nature smoothens the shock this way and gives a baby one last burst of support from mother's body after the shock of getting out and before the shock of having to start to breath all by themselves. The way we do it, we put both shocks together...
And there is absolutely no benefits to early cut except for the doctor can faster move on to the next patient...
"LG, I feel that one can have an opinion on a topic ("it is not a good thing for kids to be out without sunscreen") without judging someone to be a bad parent."
I agree. I wouldn't comment on that (or BF / FF unless asked). But I think it's not a good thing for babies to be bottle fed, unless the mother physically can't.
Misha: I can't comment on the benefits/liabilities of when the umbilical cord is cut. I would have to do some research on that before forming an opinion. I did do a lot of research as to the benefits of cord blood banking, and I'm very glad that we did that. Thanks for the lively discussion, and your initial interest in my Hub. I appreciate it!
LG: While I don't agree with that opinion (that "it's not a good thing for babies to be bottle fed",) I do respect your position. I also appreciate that you wouldn't make a comment on a person's choice unless asked. Well stated! Thanks for reading my Hub, and I look forward to chatting with you again soon!
MotherHubber, kudos to you for taking on such a senstive topic with humor and grace! I have 4 kids and we didn't take the same approach with any of them. In my first delivery, I nearly bled to death (quite literally), but the nurse was there as I was passing out, trying to help my son breastfeed, minutes after delivery. I managed to squeek out - just give him a bottle!!!! - before I lost consciousness. I'm sure the doctors and nurses blame his "nipple confusion" on that night. Ahhhhh, well.
Still, neither of my sisters breastfed their kids, and I only did so with 2 of mine. They are all healthy and smart. :)
Steph
OK, I will be honest in saying I haven't even read the whole post yet but the fact that you called the "Lactation Consultant" a "Breastfeeding Nazi" is fabulous and mae me fall in love with your writing! That is EXACTLY what I called my "Lactation Concultant!" I promise I will finish reading the whole thing! :)
Steph, what a scary experience! I am glad to hear that all of your kiddos are happy and healthy now, regardless of their varying means of sustenance :)
Thank you for reading my hub, and for your kind words.
Cherish, so glad you enjoyed the hub! Looking forward to hearing what you think once you've read the rest :)
MotherHubber, I'm really wondering if you are one of my oldest and dearest friends... She bottle fed without even considering breastfeeding. When I had my first, she was floored that I breastfed because I was *the only* person who supported her choice to bottle feed her first (born 3 years before my first) and her second (born 3 months before my first). In the end, I figured while breast is best, it isn't the only way and best is marginally measured.
I find the funnier thing to be is while you "are supposed" to breastfeed, no one wants to be anywhere near you when you do--it's only for behind locked doors.
Oh, and while I did breastfeed all 3 of my kids, I didn't particularlythink it was any great bonding experience.
Lelah, thanks so much for your comment. I always hold my breath a little when I get a notice that someone has left a comment about this particular hub, because it seems to be - and I STILL don't know why - so polarizing. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it, and leave the feedback. I wish more breast-feeding moms were as non-judgemental as you are! Your friend is lucky to have you.
At the end of the day, we're all just a bunch of exhausted moms doing the best we can to make good choices for our kids without causing too much irreperable damage, right? :-)
Thanks again!
~mh
Breathe, MH :-) All I wanted to say was, "AMEN" to your last post.
(Yeah, Lelah is lots of fun and a very sweet person too!)
I agree this is a very personal decision and one that only the Mom can make. I was bottlefed, and I don't think I am any worse off for the fact! I believe I was born before the days of "natural" childbirth and I have survived very well. I can still run circles around all those young breastfed, helmeted, sunscreened kids I work with.
The lack of understanding shown by the breastfeeding Nazi's is unforgivable in my mind! They should give the same support regardless of what feeding method you choose!
It is the love a parent gives the child that matters, not the feeding method!
(PS-Sorry to rant and run on :D)
I'll tell what my theory of why it is so polarizing is, people are insecure. They have to think they are doing everything right and when someone else does something different, they're scared they are wrong--and if not about that, about something else.
I'm more the middle of the road in life. Throw something up against the wall and see if it sticks. If it is working for you (and in the case of parenting, your child) then keep it up, if not move on. I read a cool quote the other day: "You can't live your life through someone else's viewpoint." My new motto!
Mother - I was a loud, proud bottle feeder. I whipped them suckers out anywhere my babies felt like opening their mouth for one. Park, bus, street - I had no shame! Funnily enough, as you discovered, I would have had less reaction whipping my hooters out all over the damn place - providing a baby was firmly attached.
And another thing (while I'm waxing) I think it's no-one elses business either. We DO NOT live in an ideal world people. I'd rather know a baby was FED, adored and had ALL his needs met - than concern myself with one aspect of it.
And while I'm chugging ... breastfeeding does not make you a great mother. Being a good parent does. I was breastfed - and my Ma was the single bigest disappointment of my life.
Great hub Mother ... even though I'm weeks behind. Got me going so it did :)
Frog, thanks for visiting this Hub. It is nearest and dearest to my...uh...heart. LOL
I am so happy that I wrote this, because as a result I heard from more proud bottle feeders then I thought existed.
I could not agree more with you about breastfeeding not making one a great mother. Please. There is so much more to it than that.
I think you and are are gonna be HubBuddies. . . :-)
Mother - and why not? Even though my three younglings are now apprentice adults I could still happily twitter about motherhood. The vomit, long sleepless nights ... half-assed sex. Ahhhhh the joys ;)
That was a really great post MH! I loved it. Although I am sad to say that I have been that kind of 'judgemental' mom before, lets just say I learned a hard lesson and have repented. I actually wrote about it if you are interested in reading it. I feel like we really have some similar thinkings...very cool! ttys I hope!
www.hubpages.com/hub/To-Be-a-Breastfeeder-or-Not-To-Be
Just in case your interested, I hope you will leave me a comment on what you think. cheers
ps. if that URL does not work (im new here) its in my hubs, I think you'll know where to find it. :)
I haven't read the comments to this, but I was looking for one of my own hubs and stumbled on yours: Just had to read.
With my first child I did *not* want to breastfeed, but there was all the pomp and pressure that you're talking about. All at the same time the hospital trying to force me to take medications during my (preferably natural) delivery. I hated it. I gave in, and my breasts (then a nice D) were manhandled, mashed, and injured in the name of "teaching the baby to breastfeed." She was terrified -- I mean ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED and still the LC went on. And on. And on.
I finally stopped, pumped for a little while and then switched to formula. No harm done. She's one of the smartest four year-olds I've ever met. No damage to her intelligence, and she's healthy, too!
With my second, I wanted to nurse. We made a go at it, but it was difficult, and lactation consultants can be bloody BORES when they want to! "Your breasts are too big, your nipples are massive!" I was a G with her, and the entire fiasco was embarrassing.
So then, finally, I was determined with my third -- going to write a hub about that today actually. Anyway, we managed to make it work, and it was the most beautiful thing in the world. That was here in Indiana. Nobody sent me an LC (I had to ask for one just to be sure her latch was good) and nobody bothered me. I wonder if there was a connection between that and my success? Who knows!
Regardless, formula-fed babies are no less loved, healthy and intelligent than babies who are breast fed. There are benefits both ways.
Thanks for the (as always) funny read. You have a great way of bringing an issue out without being dull!
Well-written article! It's so funny to me how those who breastfeed acutely feel the discrimination of those who don't ("Are you STILL breastfeeding? No, no of course there's nothing wrong with that. But you do plan to stop by the time she's in college...?") while simultaneously those who opt out of breastfeeding feel pressured to bring out the boobs ("Oh, bottle feeding is fine I suppose if you want to give your child SECOND BEST. Were you not loved as a child, yourself...?")
Alas, it's not limited to breastfeeding. Basically, we moms are blamed for mothering crimes we committed, mothering crimes we will commit, and mothering crimes we're committing right now. When you're a mom, you're an open book that others get to write in.
Though I guess even dads with custody are not exempt these days. "What? You're not getting her food from a BREAST MILK BANK?" or "What? You're getting her food from a BREAST MILK BANK?" It's a sorry thing.
Just put on a confident face and plow ahead, and wait till the time the kid's grown up and obviously happy. Then turn to the mother-in-law or whoever kindly put their two cents in when you needed a pat on the back and say, "I really regret formula feeding/those polyester onesies/grounding him/not bringing the case about the unfair grade all the way up to the Supreme Court...it scarred him, don't you think?"
Passive aggression is the last resort of mothers everywhere. ;)
Benjimester says:
10 months ago
Haha, I never thought I would enjoy a hub on breastfeeding :) Thanks for the fun read.