breast feeding and transplant

OK, no, I am not pregnant. But this is something that's been bothering me lately, ever since the Delta debacle with the breast-feeding mom. ALl these women are out talking about how breast-feeding is the best, the most noble, the most natural way to do it, and if you don't breast feed then it's like you're denying your child these vital things.

OK I was not breast-fed. My brother and sister weren't, either, and you know, we all turned out OK. Breast-feeding never really had an appeal to me, and when I had CF, we couldn't breast-feed because we needed all the calories we could get. Breast-feeding would physically hurt us.

Pregnancy post-transplant is a risky thing, anyway. I'm sure that's something we'll end up discussing more here, but even if you get pregnant and have the baby, you cannot breast-feed. The immunosuppresant drugs are present in the breast milk, and after 9 months of walking the very, very fine line between suppressing and trying not to hurt the baby, doctors want to get you back to a normal med schedule as soon as possible. So breast-feeding is, again, out of the question, in order to preserve your own health.

I just wish people would udnerstand all that. When some of us use formula, it's not for some vain reason. Some of us have legitimate reasons for not breast-feeding. So get off our backs and stop telling us that "breast is best" and if we're using formula we're akin to child abusers or whatever. Some of us have no choice. It's a fine line.

OK, off my soapbox now. :) But it really does make me mad. Think people!!