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Like a lot of nursing moms, the first few weeks of my son’s life, I felt like all I did was feed him (the child was ravenous!). But that quickly changed once he became an efficient eater—and slept for greater chunks of time (woo hoo!). Then, life became more normal and thankfully we learned to fit breastfeeding into it.
A recent Beliefnet article suggests that some moms are concentrating so much on breastfeeding they’re neglecting their husbands—and the question, “Would you stop breastfeeding to save your marriage?” is creating a buzz on iVillage's message boards.
“If it would definitely save the marriage, I would stop. I think my child would be more negatively affected by a divorce than by drinking formula,” says one iVillage community member. Another says: “I wouldn’t stay married to a man who forced me to do anything I didn’t want to do, let alone something that was so very important to me, and to our children. If he can’t see past his own insecurities or jealousies or whatever it is, than I don't want to be married to him anyway.”
I can see the point of the article, that new moms shouldn’t neglect their marriage, especially sex, just because they’re spending so much time and energy on their babies. Sure, some of us moms are too tired to have sex today because we were up in the wee hours feeding our babies last night. But formula-feeding parents were, too. (And hey, maybe tomorrow will be a different story.) Plus, our child’s infancy is a passing phase. Cut us new moms some slack and have faith that your sex life will get back on track.
What do you think: Would you stop breastfeeding if your partner asked you (or pressured you) to? Chime in below!
Like this? Read these:
- Sex Drive: Does breastfeeding decrease a woman’s libido?
- Why Breastfeeding: Is short-term nursing possible?
- Healthy Sex Life = Happy Life
