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A pregnant mum has gone public about her decision not to breastfeed her next child.

Jessica Hood from Melbourne is expecting her fourth child on Christmas Day, but she has already decided she won’t be breastfeeding. And she wants the world to understand the important reason why.

Taking to her Instagram, the soon to be mum-of-four shared her story…

“MY CHOICE NOT TO BREASTFEED
Although a slightly controversial topic I think it needs to be spoken about more .

“For months now I had made the conscious decision not to breast feed my baby when he arrives . Today I finally opened up about it and today a whole lot of women reached out to me and thanked me for having the courage to be straight forward and honest .

“My decision was based around not only my mental health but also my past experiences with breastfeeding and my struggles . You see the struggle to breastfeed “ for me “ was definitely a trigger for my pnd with lily , something I feel contributed to it. I honestly felt like I was not doing a good job and I just couldn’t get it down pat . It was frustrating .

“With my last born she had an undiagnosed lip and tongue tie. Despite being checked we were told she was fine but very quickly she became underweight with her feeding struggles.

“So far I’ve been lucky to not been criticised for my decision but praised . Praised for making a decision and being able to be open about it. What upset me the most was hearing about women who felt bullied for making that choice in the past.

“Why? It doesn’t make us any less of a mum , it doesn’t mean we are doing something wrong . Whatever works for you and your baby is what works . Your baby is loved , fed , happy and thriving , how is it anyone else’s business whether or not you breast or bottle fed and that was the reason I came out and openly spoke about it. Something has gotta change and women need to support each other during such a fragile time .

“I entered this journey with my heart and soul and wanting to be honest with you all and that is what I’m doing . I wanna impower and inspire . What ever choice you make as a parent whether it’s to breastfeed or not , to home school , to have a c section or to co sleep I want us as mother to feel comfortable with our choices and to be able to back ourselves and our decisions and not only that I want women to feel that they can make these choices for THEIR children and not be judge!

So yes – I’m not breastfeeding my baby and I am not ashamed one bit.”


View this post on Instagram

MY CHOICE NOT TO BREASTFEED Although a slightly controversial topic I think it needs to be spoken about more . For months now I had made the conscious decision not to breast feed my baby when he arrives . Today I finally opened up about it and today a whole lot of women reached out to me and thanked me for having the courage to be straight forward and honest . My decision was based around not only my mental health but also my past experiences with breastfeeding and my struggles . You see the struggle to breastfeed “ for me “ was definitely a trigger for my pnd with lily , something I feel contributed to it. I honestly felt like I was not doing a good job and I just couldn’t get it down pat . It was frustrating . With my last born she had an undiagnosed lip and tongue tie. Despite being checked we were told she was fine but very quickly she became underweight with her feeding struggles. So far I’ve been lucky to not been criticised for my decision but praised . Praised for making a decision and being able to be open about it. What upset me the most was hearing about women who felt bullied for making that choice in the past. Why? It doesn’t make us any less of a mum , it doesn’t mean we are doing something wrong . Whatever works for you and your baby is what works . Your baby is loved , fed , happy and thriving , how is it anyone else’s business whether or not you breast or bottle fed and that was the reason I came out and openly spoke about it. Something has gotta change and women need to support each other during such a fragile time . I entered this journey with my heart and soul and wanting to be ???? honest with you all and that is what I’m doing . I wanna inpower and inspire . What ever choice you make as a parent whether it’s to breastfeed or not , to homeschool , to have a c section or to co sleep I want us as mother to feel comfortable with our choices and to be able to back ourselves and our decisions and not only that I want women to feel that they can make these choices for THEIR children and not be judge! So yes – I’m not breastfeeding my baby and I am not ashamed one bit ❤

A post shared by Jessica Hood (@houseofhoods_) on

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  • I take my hat off to this mama! And appreciate her sharing her story. The way the world is today your judged for everything you do but motherhood is one thing I thought we could come together and just accept each other for who we are – after all we all have our own struggles. Not all of us like to admit it which is totally ok too but every mother you see everyday has lived or gone through some sort of struggle. I was lucky enough to breast feed both my babies until around 7/8 months but that doesn’t mean it was easy. My second also had an undiagnosed lip/tongue and cheek ties. The first few months of breast feeding (a long with multiple allergies) was excruciating. My nipples were so blistered and raw that I actually thought they would never be the same. I spent most of my days biting into my tops every time I would attach my newborn on my breast – I’ll never forget the pain. While I never suffered PND it sure made me feel like I was failing my baby in some way – like I was doing something wrong. My baby always had great gains but she was constantly miserable. It wasn’t until we got her ties diagnosed and treated via laser that breast feeding finally became a happy time. But I also think it made me stop feeding earlier than what I wanted to because I was that done with it being so hard for months. I’m so glad this mama is doing what’s right for her! Whether people agree with it or not at the end of the day that’s her baby and FED IS BEST!

    Reply

  • Good on her. Breastfeeding is great as long as it can be done without too much stress and pain. There comes a time when you have to decide if its worth the angst

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  • Good on her. I had to pick between breastfeeding and my mental health and formula is ny hero for saving my life. Breastfeeding is wonderful if you can do it and want to do it. But we are so lucky to live in a country with access to a safe alternative. Its nobody’s business but the mums what and why she chooses to feed her bub.

    Reply

  • Mental Health problems often become much worse for those who already have issues.
    Better to feed formula is you feel better that way.

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  • She’s the Mum so she makes the decision on what is right for her family.

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  • Each to their own and I don’t think she needed to make her reasons public. It’s no one elses business but hers.

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  • It’s a personal choice to breastfeed or not and I don’t think there should be so much commotion around it

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  • I hate that this even has to be announced, her child, her body, her choice, it is that simple. A baby needs a clean butt, lots of cuddles and a full belly

    Reply

  • Good on her!

    Reply

  • There’s no need to seek approval indeed. With sharing she might make it easier for others who struggle to share as well, which is good.

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  • It’s a personal choice and you have to do what you think is right for you. No one should belittle you for it or shame you.

    Reply

  • To Breast feed or not is a personal decision, no one needs approval from anyone else.


    • I don’t understand the need for seeking approval or for justification of parenting and feeding decisions.

    Reply

  • I don’t judge other Mums to not breastfeed. Most these days give it a go, but a lot aren’t given the proper support and information needed. We all know that it’s great for babies, but it is a learned skill that has many complications and consequences. If more had the proper support and knowledge needed, there might be a higher success rate. But I can understand her decision, PND is so common so to eliminate any potential triggers is a good idea.
    I got lucky with my 1st having a great lactation consultant teach me what I needed to know, checked my baby for ties and latch issues and helped me gain a lot of confidence despite having a premmie baby that was tube fed for the 1st 2 weeks. She was exclusively breastfed, and extended bf until 21 months. Now bfing baby 2 and despite my milk taking a little longer to come in & hubbies doubts, we are going strong with an exclusively chubby bf 3 month old.

    Reply

  • Reasons are personal and no one needs to make them public and receive approval or disapproval. have faith and belief in decisions.

    Reply

  • Every baby is different and it could be a very bonding experience to breastfeed especially after having a bad experience with her first. It sounds like the tongue tie etc were part of the issue with feeding her last baby and chances are her next baby will not have a tongue tie so could be an option. Agree with another comment – her private life shouldn’t be up for public discussion though.

    Reply

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