It was 3 a.m., and we had reached the end of our rope with our perpetually crying newborn. She was becoming increasingly prone to long fits of inconsolable crying and, though I nursed constantly, I was never able to soothe her. Finally, in the middle of the night on her fifth day, we picked up the phone and called the nurse?s line.
The nurse was curt and prompt with her diagnosis?the baby was dehydrated?and she suggested that we go to the ER. After some sobbing on my part, my husband decided to run to the 24-hour pharmacy for formula and a bottle instead. My daughter couldn?t drink it fast enough and fell into the first deep sleep she?d ever known. I cried myself to sleep.
To say that I felt I?d let her down is an understatement. In the days leading up to that moment, I knew, deep down, that I wasn?t keeping her fed, despite my healthcare providers? insistence to the contrary. It was both their staunch belief in ?breast is best? and mine that kept us from admitting she was hungry, and I realized then that maybe breast isn?t always best. Before we go any further, please know this: I think breastmilk is the ideal food for babies and, in most cases, breast is best. That being said, I also think it?s time to retire the phrase because it crushes every mom who is unable to give her baby what?s ?best.?
?Breast is best,? the ubiquitous public health campaign that urges women to give their babies nothing but breastmilk for the first six months, made me feel like a failure. It follow...