This is what our doctors want. UPDATE, page 3

[Hillia]

DS is adopted.  When he was an infant, I was sitting outside a restaurant with him one night giving him a bottle.  A lady stopped and gave me grief about not breastfeeding.  Because I didn't have a backbone, I smiled weakly and said, 'Oh, he's adopted'.  She snapped, 'They have SHOTS for that, you know!' and lectured me some more.

[penguinpants]

DS is adopted.  When he was an infant, I was sitting outside a restaurant with him one night giving him a bottle.  A lady stopped and gave me grief about not breastfeeding.  Because I didn't have a backbone, I smiled weakly and said, 'Oh, he's adopted'.  She snapped, 'They have SHOTS for that, you know!' and lectured me some more.

Shots?  Are they intended to vaccinate you against adopted children?  Or did she mean that you're supposed to get shots to artificially create a breastmilk supply?

[Hushabye]

DS is adopted.  When he was an infant, I was sitting outside a restaurant with him one night giving him a bottle.  A lady stopped and gave me grief about not breastfeeding.  Because I didn't have a backbone, I smiled weakly and said, 'Oh, he's adopted'.  She snapped, 'They have SHOTS for that, you know!' and lectured me some more.

Shots?  Are they intended to vaccinate you against adopted children?  Or did she mean that you're supposed to get shots to artificially create a breastmilk supply?

Probably the latter, would be my guess.  Because the only way to acceptably feed your infant is with breastmilk.  Ever. 

I swear, if it doesn't work out for me, the first person who gets snarky about not breastfeeding will be asked if they have just offered themselves up as a wet nurse. 

[Jan74]

Shots?  Are they intended to vaccinate you against adopted children?  Or did she mean that you're supposed to get shots to artificially create a breastmilk supply?

The latter. As prospective adoptive parents, I am now aware of this huge controversy if you don't want the shots.
I have no interest in pumping myself full of hormones (and I couldn't - I have hypothyroidism, and that estrogen would mess up my medication dosages, which would make me sleepy and unable to care for the baby) to produce milk that does not contain the antibiotics my child needs anyway, simply for the bonding experience. I refuse to believe that nipples are the only way to bond with a child; if I did, I would also think fathers are completely unable to bond with their children.
If I got pregnant, I would try to breastfeed, but I don't think berating parents who can't/don't want to breastfeed is the way to go.

[MrsJWine]

Oh my gosh.  I think it's great if people want to go to those lengths to breastfeed an adopted infant, but that really seems above and beyond when you've already rescued a baby from orphanhood or abandonment or unfit parents.  And if it's a baby who was adopted after the newborn stage, it would be extremely hard to teach him to breastfeed.  I'm not even sure it's possible, though I guess I don't really know.

Southern Sugar, I love your wet nurse suggestion.  That's awesome.

[gramma dishes]

I refuse to believe that nipples are the only way to bond with a child; if I did, I would also think fathers are completely unable to bond with their children.

And Daddies, Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles, and babysitters should all have the shots too so that they can "adequately" take care of the baby!!   

[Jan74]

I refuse to believe that nipples are the only way to bond with a child; if I did, I would also think fathers are completely unable to bond with their children.

And Daddies, Grandparents, Aunties and Uncles, and babysitters should all have the shots too so that they can "adequately" take care of the baby!!   

I thought of that when Oprah had her "real life modern family" on the show: a trans female was married to a female, and had fathered their twins with frozen sperm. The trans female then had the shots so she could breastfeed their kids as well, and I was thinking - your partner has the breast milk they actually need, so you're doing this for yourself, right, not for your kids' health? Not that I'm gonna judge that, but it is not really for the children's benefit at this point.

[Hillia]

DS is adopted.  When he was an infant, I was sitting outside a restaurant with him one night giving him a bottle.  A lady stopped and gave me grief about not breastfeeding.  Because I didn't have a backbone, I smiled weakly and said, 'Oh, he's adopted'.  She snapped, 'They have SHOTS for that, you know!' and lectured me some more.

Shots?  Are they intended to vaccinate you against adopted children?  Or did she mean that you're supposed to get shots to artificially create a breastmilk supply?

(snicker)  Yes, she was referring to hormone shots that are used to promote lactation in women who did not give birth to their children but wish to breastfeed.  Some adoptive moms feel strongly about breastfeeding their children and there are techniques available to facilitate that; it wasn't an option I chose to pursue.

[penguinpants]

Well, now -- I've learned something new.  How lovely that Ms. Self-Righteous has further avenues to pursue in her quest to chastise the world.

[VorFemme]

I was reading about the formula recall backlash yesterday. Apparently a lot of people are using this as way to say, "SEE - your baby wouldn't be eating beetles if you breast fed."

One of the comments on the post said that she had people give her a really hard time for not breast feeding. She had a seizure disorder and couldn't breastfeed because of the meds. She would explain that to people, but then she decided it was really none of their business. So when someone snarkily ask her why she wasn't breast feeding, she would give the probably not ehell approved response of, "To tick you off."

Honestly, it's a personal choice. What part of that do people not understand?

That just frustrates me to no end.  It's not a contest.  There's no prize for breastfeeding or not breastfeeding.  It's just a decision you make -- or one that your body/circumstances make for you.

WHAT??  NO GOLD STARS?

Only if you breastfeed until they're five.  You get a silver one if you make it to three and a bronze one if you make it a full year.  But those gold stars are freakin' elusive, man...

And where do we wear these stars? 

This gives a whole new undertheme to Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfuntion" a few years ago (half time entertainment with Justin Timberlake) - as I had no idea that she had breast fed any babies long enough to have earned a "silver star"!

I refuse to get piercings to wear any stars............could they be tattooed on after the baby was weaned and long enough in advance that the doctor would be able to give you a clean bill of health before you tried to get pregnant and/or nurse another baby?

[Hushabye]

I was reading about the formula recall backlash yesterday. Apparently a lot of people are using this as way to say, "SEE - your baby wouldn't be eating beetles if you breast fed."

One of the comments on the post said that she had people give her a really hard time for not breast feeding. She had a seizure disorder and couldn't breastfeed because of the meds. She would explain that to people, but then she decided it was really none of their business. So when someone snarkily ask her why she wasn't breast feeding, she would give the probably not ehell approved response of, "To tick you off."

Honestly, it's a personal choice. What part of that do people not understand?

That just frustrates me to no end.  It's not a contest.  There's no prize for breastfeeding or not breastfeeding.  It's just a decision you make -- or one that your body/circumstances make for you.

WHAT??  NO GOLD STARS?

Only if you breastfeed until they're five.  You get a silver one if you make it to three and a bronze one if you make it a full year.  But those gold stars are freakin' elusive, man...

And where do we wear these stars? 

Why, on the lapels or breast pockets of your clothing, of course!

Unless you want to go the tattoo route, in which case I actually recommend someplace less prone to, shall we say, stretchiness later in life than the aforementioned areas. 

[Deetee]

Strong enough?  I'm really confused by that.  It's not like breastmilk comes in whole, 2%, 1%, and skim.  How cold breastmilk be weak?  I get not producing enough, but weak?  

Actually, mine was weak. I produced plenty for DD, but it didn't have what she needed. When I was nursing, I all of my pregnancy weight (about 30 lbs) plus and extra 10 pounds--within a couple months of giving birth. I was down to 115 lbs on my 5 foot 7 inch frame. I was eating quite a bit, and eating healthy, and even drinking nutritional supplements, like Ensure, twice a day. I swear I ate more when I was nursing than when I was pregnant. I had to wean DD (actually, she weaned herself. Didn't want anything to do with my ta ta's) when she was a little over 3 months old.

I don't know how I would have been with DS. I tried to nurse him, but he could never figure out how to latch on. Every feeding wound up being stressful for him and me, trying to get him on right. And, with him being the firstborn, I didn't know what I was doing plus I felt I was the most exhausted I'd ever been in my life. I gave up trying to nurse him after 6 weeks.

Actually you should eat more while breastfeeding. When pregnant you should eat about 350 calories more a day. When breatfeeding, the baby is consuming 500-1000 calories and you need to produce that food. So you need to eat 1000-2000 calories a day more to provide the baby with the 500-1000 calories (assuming a 50% efficiency).

I ate way more while breastfeeding than pregnant and didn't gain weight.

[hellgirl]

Actually you should eat more while breastfeeding. When pregnant you should eat about 350 calories more a day. When breatfeeding, the baby is consuming 500-1000 calories and you need to produce that food. So you need to eat 1000-2000 calories a day more to provide the baby with the 500-1000 calories (assuming a 50% efficiency).

I ate way more while breastfeeding than pregnant and didn't gain weight.

Which is how I got one of my answers for people when they ask my when I'm stopping breastfeeding.
"Are you kidding? I eat way too many biscuits and don't exercise nearly enough to stop feeding! I'd double in size!"

(for the record I walk a goodly amount and eat pretty well - just a lot )

[Suze]

i know a gal that handed a "busybody" her fake boob and told her that if she could get milk out of it - she would happily breast feed...

[Elfmama]

i know a gal that handed a "busybody" her fake boob and told her that if she could get milk out of it - she would happily breast feed...