Breastfed! I nursed my first until 9-10 months when I stopped to take medication which if I was informed better wouldn't of stopped.

It does hurt for a while but it gets so easy and it's so convenient. I also had mastitis (infected clogged milk duct) which lasted for a week but used some cold cabbage leaves and some meds. I also would leak out of the opposite breast when nursing so I used lots of pads. I would just wear a nursing tank under my shirt so my after baby belly would be for my eyes only!

If your nipples were bleeding baby may not have been latched correctly (due to his tongue thing?). Please look for books or other online resources that promote and help with breastfeeding.

I will breastfeed this little one until she stops. If she doesn't stop before 2 we'll start weaning to one or two feedings. I also don't work so that is another consideration. I will pump if I get a job or go back to school.

The WHO recommends that babies nurse until age 2 and beyond if wanted. In the USA we are more comfortable with porn than with breastfeeding. Ew. Most hospitals have breastfeeding support groups. Attend one if it gets hard and don't let the public tell you to go nurse in the bathroom. It's not illegal to nurse in public, if you're in someone's home that feels uncomfortable then that is their home and you have to listen to them,,, but here I am rambling.

Formula also costs a lot of money.

I plan on breast feeding, this is my first so i really have no idea what to expect...Im kind of scared b/c I dont know if I will be able to or not, I really want to, but (sorry for tmi) one of my nipples is inverted and Ive heard it is nearly impossible to breast feed with an inverted nipple...
So I dont want one breast to be smaller then the other, and I dont even know if that one breast can produce enough milk, I have a lot of questions for the breast feeding coach @ my hospital when that time comes!
I hope all works out with you and good luck!

I tried breastfeeding with my second and third child but it just didnt work out.

There are good odds that this one won't have tongue issues. (Was it a short frenulum causing him to be "tongue tied"?) So definitely try again. Get a lactation consultant or pediatrician to check your baby's tongue shortly after birth to see if this one has the same problem. They can clip the frenulum if that is the problem.

With a good latch from the baby breastfeeding isn't near as painful as you experienced. This is one reason I wish new moms were in the hospital longer than 24 hrs after a vaginal delivery. I was in for 3 days after my C-section and my son had a perfect latch by the time we left.

I breastfed my son for 16.5 months when he weaned on his own. I had very little discomfort and definitely no bleeding. My nipples were a little sore at a couple of points (like at 6 months when he was teething and decided I was his pacifier!)

I definitely plan on breastfeeding this one. All I can think about is free food vs $2000 for formula for a year!

I also had troubles breastfeeding with my first. He had a hard time latching on properly and wasn't getting enough milk etc. I ended up with mastitis 5 times in 3 months and eventually my milk just dried up. He only went about 14 weeks. I understand the fear of trying again bc after having an experience like that it doesn't seem worth it. I thought bottle feeding was 100 times better bc of my experience. I decided to give it one more chance with my second and I am all for breastfeeding now. Your body has learned and frankly this baby may have an easier time feeding. If your experience is like mine, you won't ever regret breastfeeding! My baby is a wonderful nurser and I have had no complications whatsoever. It has been a wonderful and positive experience and way easier than running for a bottle and microwave every few hours...not to mention tons cheaper! Try it again and you may be surprised at how easy it is now. Here are some tips I followed this time around (I don't know which one was the magic tip, but I did them all and something worked):
1. Avoid an epidural or other meds when giving birth bc it shuts your body and your baby's body down and prevents each of you from reacting normally to the experience. They say babies with meds in their systems are to sedated to respond to your attempts and your body may not react properly to their attempts either.
2. Don't take hot showers the first week bc it stimulates your milk production and causes too much milk to be produced causing bad engorgement and possibly mastitis. (Try warm baths w/the water level hitting below your chest)
3. Wear a bra
4. Let your nipples air dry and use lanolin cream after EVERY feeding for the first few weeks.
5. Don't use soap to clean your chest and avoid letting shampoos or other products touch your nipples bc it leads to dry/cracked nipples.
6. Use only lansinoh nursing pads. (Their fabric has been shown to prevent excessive dryness) and change them with every feeding for the first few weeks.
7. Pump excess milk before feeding if you are engored.
8. Don't let baby nurse too long and don't let baby be too hungry when you begin. Both cause damage to your chest.
9. Apply ice on chest after feeding and warmth to nipples after feeding and never mix the two up.
10. Tell yourself it will be fine and then relax so your body is not handling stress while trying to produce substance for your little one.
I did all of these for the first few weeks and now that breastfeeding is well established it is the easiest thing to do and it is no hassle and no work to make breasfeeding pleasant for both of us. Good Luck!

I feel so strongly for breastfeeding. Oh my goodness. Here is a link with some myths that surround breastfeeding. There are such great resources today that almost every woman (right now about 11% of moms are still nursing at 6 months) is able to nurse.

Please, Please, Please go read it if you're curious!

http://pediatrics.about.com/library/breastfeeding/blbreastfeedingm.htm

I thought that breast feeding was the best thing ever- in a way that it was always there, right temp, no cost.. etc. That is until my son was born, he had colic, so he cried all the time, and my breasts leaked ALL the time, for about 4 months I couldn't go out in public for longer than 10 minutes with out changing my breast pads, even hearing other peoples babies crying made me leak- now that is just me- I also stopped breast feeding at 9 months and continued to lactate for 4 years!!!!!! I know- the doctors didn't see it as being a problem but I did. I felt like a cow.

But overall once you and your baby get onto a schedule it does work out really nicely, it is a nice bonding experience. My sister in law had problems breast feeding too, but as some of the ladies on here said lactation experts really do now what they are talking about and can help you come up with options. My nipples did get cracked at some points but I found that Lanolin helps alot.

Im going to be brutally honest here!! But understand that im not trying to be vulger its just what worked for us.
I breastfed my son till he was 11 months (then he started biting and i just quit it! lol) But my husband worked on my breasts while i was pregnant, he would suck on them hard and they never bled or anything but he made sure to kind of gently toughen them up. And it worked, i never had cracking or bleeding. And my son never hurt my nipples when he was simply feeding just when the teeth and biting came in.
So thats what honestly worked for me.

I've already decided that I'm going to TRY to breastfeed...if it doesn't work, at least I tried but I'm not telling anyone that I am or am not going to breastfeed. I just don't want to set myself up for wanting to and then not being able to.