A short post to all the parents out there who fed their babies

Last week was national breastfeeding week. I saw a lot of pictures and posts about how great breastfeeding is. One thing I didn’t see were posts to honor and represent all the parents who feed their children no matter what. I would like to honor those parents.

I have not met a single person who said that they were not planning on breastfeeding. I have met many people who wanted to breastfeed, but for one reason or another it didn’t work out. A lot of times, those people met with countless professionals, tried all the things for many days/weeks/months, and in the end, they needed to do what was right for them and their baby. Those people recognized that in order to be the best parent, they needed to feed their baby, and it wasn’t always with breastmilk. 

To all the parents who are up in the middle of the night to feed your babies, I see you. To all the parents who cried the first time they fed their baby a bottle with formula in it, I see you. To all the parents who never had the opportunity to breastfeed, I see you. To all the parents who spent endless hours trying to figure out what formula is best for their babies, I see you. To all the parents who recognized that their babies needed to eat one way or another, I see you. 

There is so much pressure to breastfeed. It is good that so much research has shown the benefits of breastfeeding. It is also good that people are being educated on those benefits. What is not so good, is the shaming that takes place when people do not breastfeed. Sometimes it is a choice, most of the time it is after hundreds of attempts to breastfeed with an ungodly number of sleepless nights. 

No matter how you fed your baby, CONGRATULATIONS, you fed your baby and helped them grow! That is HUGE, that is a SUCCESS. I hope you recognize that and I hope you celebrate for being the best parent you can be.

Happy National Baby Fed Week!