Advice for moms being judged for not breastfeeding

Author and blogger Jill Smokler gives advice for moms who fear that they are being judged for not breastfeeding their kids and shares her personal experience on the subject
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Advice for moms being judged for not breastfeeding

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I think not breastfeeding my own children was the source of the most judgment from mothers of all ages, and friends of mine and family members of mine. I really wanted to breastfeed, I couldn't. It didn't matter that I wanted to, it didn't matter that I couldn't. I shouldn't have received that judgment from anybody. I had friends threaten to breastfeed my own children because they weren't getting breast milk from me. It was horrifying and it made me feel awful, it made me feel like a complete failure. I was so convinced that I wouldn't bond with my daughter because that was the consensus I was getting from other people, that I forced this child, who naturally slept well, to sleep on my chest, just my chest, only on my chest all the time, because I wanted to have some bond; some way to replace the lack of breastfeeding, so I created this sleep monster. I un-sleep trained my child who was sleeping in chunks at a time, and she, all of a sudden would only sleep with me. Nobody could put her to bed, nobody could get her down, it was just me for years. My daughter is perfectly fine, she is more than fine; she's wonderful. I have no doubt that she would be wonderful if she were fed breast milk, formula - it doesn't matter, you need to do what's right for you, period.

Author and blogger Jill Smokler gives advice for moms who fear that they are being judged for not breastfeeding their kids and shares her personal experience on the subject

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Jill Smokler

Author & Owner, Scary Mommy

What started as an innocent on-line baby book to chronicle Jill Smokler’s stay-at-home days with her children, (Lily, 9, Ben, 7 and Evan, 5) quickly transformed into a vibrant community of parents, brought together by a common theme: Parenting doesn’t have to be perfect. Jill’s honest take on parenting has appeared in numerous publications and on television programs, including The Today ShowThe New York Times, Good Morning America, Nightline and CNN.

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