I am an Albuquerque Baby Photographer | Breastfeeding is something I certainly advocate for. August is Breastfeeding awareness month. Let’s celebrate, However, I moreso travel the line of: Fed is Best.

I am about about 4 years past since the last time I breastfed one of my little ones. You can read the post from back then as well if you’d like.

During that season of my life, I felt such an immense amount of stress and pressure to breastfeed. And even moreso, to make it to the one year mark. I have two thriving children now and all I can say is I wish I wasn’t so hard on myself back then.

My oldest and I had such a rough start. Milk took its time to come in, so and she didn’t want to suck with no reward. My lactation consultant had me thread a tiny tube from formula to my nipple to help her achieve reward. Brilliant, but then I felt like when my milk did come it still something was off.

I resorted to breast shields, because who knew inverted nipples was a thing. I sure as heck didn’t. Stressing from milk supply, to mastitis, to D-Mer,  the added stress of pumping while at work. You name it me and my little one went through it.

With my second baby, I was much more prepared, but the same struggles were had. Eventually around 6 months I began supplementing formula and by the year mark was truly only breastfeeding 1 time a day.

I am certainly proud of mine, my husbands support and my littles ones efforts in keeping our goal the best we could. However, looking back, and this far gone from that season in my life, I wish I would have offered myself some more grace. It would have saved  a lot of stress and even more tears.

So as an Albuquerque Baby Photographer | Breastfeeding, I definitely feel it is important, but when my client ask me directly, I encourage but end with Fed Is Best!