Oh the great debate among mothers, to breastfeed or not to breastfeed, and if so, for how long. For me, it was a very easy answer: YES! As we approach the 1 year mark Adah isn't showing any signs of stopping. She still wants it 3-4 times a day and that's perfectly fine with me. My BFing plan was to go to six months and then let her decide how much longer she wanted to go, knowing that most babies stop somewhere between 12-18 months. I love breastfeeding my daughter, the time we share, when she tells me she wants to BF by saying "nah." I think the reason I love it so much now is because of how difficult it was in the beginning.

Adah inherited my mouth- the gapped teeth (which is so adorable on her), the small recessed jaw, and worst of all the high palette. For babies to BF they need feel the nipple on the roof of their mouth (to activate the sucking reflex). Adah already had the problem of not being able to get enough boob in her mouth with her overbite, the high palette just made things worse. The poor girl wanted it, she just couldn't get it. But I was SO determined to make this work, I used shields and pumped and did everything I could to give my baby what was best. It was torturous, let me tell you. I knew there would be some pain, but this was beyond what I was told. The only person I had to lean on for experience was my MIL and all three of her kids were easy. My SIL's baby never got the hang of it and she pretty much gave up and pumped instead. The LC couldn't offer any help either as she never dealt with a high palette baby before. I took a whole week off of actual breastfeeding when she was 3 weeks old and just pumped (which was crappy since I only had an "occasional use" pump, which broke so I had to get a hand pump, I wouldn't get my Medela for another 2 weeks). And then one day, Adah was laying in my lap being all cute and suddenly she turned towards my breast opening her little mouth. I thought, well why not, let's give it another go. And so we did. She latched on beautifully and drained me like she was starving. I was so proud of her (still am), my baby girl learned how to overcome her problem and figured it out. By the time my fancy Medela pump came in, I didn't need it. I pumped bottles so Paulo could feed Adah at night, but pretty soon she wasn't needing that either. We became pros at breastfeeding.

So why was it so important for me to breastfeed my baby? After all the problems, why didn't I just switch to formula? (BTW, we have given her formula when necessary, I'm not against it at all). Well, I for one have "stubbornness issues." I wanted to prove that I could do it, that I could feed my baby. I wasn't breastfed, which is probably a good thing in retrospect but that's a whole 'nother side dish.

I firmly believe that breast is best. After all, we're mammals, we're covered in hair and we make milk for our babies. I will never understand why a perfectly healthy mom would choose not to breastfeed her newborn, even for a little bit. Yes it's hard, read above, I know. The benefits so outweigh the early discomfort of getting used to a little person sucking on your boobies. And yes, I understand that there are certain medical conditions that may prevent breastfeeding.

1. It's cheaper. Formula cost money, lots of money. And you can end up wasting a lot of money trying to find the formula that works for baby.

2. It's always available. There's no need to make bottles in advance or worry about bottles going bad when you're out and about. Of course, if you pump then you still have that problem.

3. It healthier for baby. Breast milk gives baby the antibodies she needs to fight off viruses/bacteria while her immune system is developing. Plus it's what her immature digestive system knows how to digest, not to mention she gets all the nutrients she needs (even the best formula can't mimic breast milk completely)

4. It's healthier for mom too. We all know it's best for baby, but many don't know it's best for mommy too. BFing burns a lot of calories so you drop the baby weight pretty quickly. You actually have to eat about 500 additional calories a day in order to keep up with the demands of milk-making. Even then, mom's body will still make the milk, so don't fret over missing a meal. Also BFing releases the hormone oxytocin, which helps your uterus shrink back to it's original size faster, which reduces postpartum recovery time. Also, moms who BF are less likely to develop heart disease and diabetes and have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

Those are just some of the benefits, for more visit Kellymom.com a wonderful site that has a lot of info on breastfeeding and it has been my source for everything from latching on to milk blisters. Please, if you're gonna be a new mom or know someone who is, consider breastfeeding, even for a short time. A lot of women feel that they don't have the support, but it's there. I know that I have had the luxury to stay at home with my daughter, and many women aren't so lucky, but many states have breastfeeding laws for women who work and need to pump, so check out your states family laws.