Disadvantages to Breastfeeding?

There was a recent article I saw posted on facebook about a study that showed contrary to popular belief, breastfeeding has been shown to stall breast aging.  It reminded me of the [more than one] people who told me that they didn't want to breastfeed because they didn't want to have saggy boobs.  Little did they know, they actually made it worse for themselves!  So as I was putting my little nursling to sleep that night, I started to think of all of the "disadvantages" of breastfeeding and came to realize. . . there are really very few.  Not including the less-saggy aspect, here are my top 5 not-so-disadvantages:

1.  Dad can't feed the baby.
       First. . . for many, dad CAN feed the baby.  Pumped milk.  But for a moment, let's pretend the baby either doesn't take a bottle you simply don't want to pump.  In  many ways, the fact that dad can't feed the baby is a plus in our home.  We're never arguing over whose turn it is to feed the baby.  I'm the only one who gets to snuggle with a baby at 3am (I find a very odd peace with those midnight hours when the house is all quiet and asleep and it's just me and my babe).  When it's bedtime, I get to snuggle with my little baby while dad does the more challenging task of getting a 2 year old to bed.  Dinner is done!  And baby is hungry.  Oh darn, I better sit and nurse her while you finish dishes.  It is really awesome that I can supply my baby with every nutritional need it has anytime it wants it.  AWESOME.

2.  Finding a place to nurse in public.
       After B, I have now lost just about all of my empathy for strangers when my baby needs to eat and we're in public.  Once I got over that and stopped sneaking off to the nearest bathroom or vacant bedroom, car, etc. . . feeding my baby in public is easier than ever.  I don't have to fumble through a diaper bag for a bottle, sterile water, and formula.  I've mastered nursing discretely (at least I think so) and can calm her cries, usually in under 10 seconds.  Most people just think I'm cradling a baby, trying to get her to sleep.  And I am!

3.  You can't hand them a bottle to continue working.
        Are there times when I am flooded with tasks, jobs, and a needy toddler and feel like I don't have time to sit down to feed my baby?  Sure.  But when the food is attached to your body, you have to.  And really. . . it's nice.  Nursing forces me to slow down - I need that!  When there are dishes to wash, clothes to sort, and 20 other things you need done, having a nursling gives you the chance to sit down, relax, and enjoy your baby.  The time goes WAY too fast, hold them at every chance you get.  Sit.  Enjoy it.  Look into their eyes.  Hold their tiny hands.  Suddenly, that sticky stuff on the counter doesn't seem as important as it did 5 minutes ago.  Not to mention the hormones you release while breastfeeding has a calming effect and it makes me feel SO good and SO relaxed. . . I really wish they could bottle that stuff.

4.  Dietary restrictions.
        I'll admit, when I went dairy free with Sophia is was rough.  But I was eating so much better!  Would I have enjoying having more ice cream at bedtime or some extra cheese on my pizza?  Sure.  But really, I lost at least an extra few pounds thanks to those restrictions.  Breastfeeding forces you to think twice about what you put into your body and overall, probably makes you at least a little bit healthier.

5.  You don't know how much the baby is eating and/or it takes too long to feed them.

        Okay, I'm kind of cheating on this one.  But it's one of the most common responses I got from people unfamiliar with breastfeeding.  "How do you know she's eating enough?"  "I could never breastfeed because it made me too nervous not knowing if she had enough to eat."  If the baby is hungry, it will eat.  It's it's not hungry, it won't.  If it's happy, satisfied, and growing. . . it's eating enough.  I'm never tempted to force the boob on her to get her to eat 'just one more ounce'.  If she's done, she's done.  (Which also helps her learn portion control and prevent obesity, BTW).  Nursing a newborn DOES take alot of time.  It was pretty normal for B and S to nurse for 45 minutes or more their first several weeks of life.  But once they get older, they get more efficient.  A 6 month old can eat an entire meal in 5 minutes.  Not only because of their efficiency at nursing, but because your body is SO smart, it makes milk exactly how they need it, increasing the fat content as they get older.  So while a formula fed baby may be up to 8 or 10 ounces (or more) for a feed, breastfed babies always take in about 4-6 ounces.  Put in the time in the beginning and the pay off is totally worth it!

So next time you read the "Con" list in a Parenting book or magazine, realize that it's not ALWAYS actually a bad thing.