'Breast is best' mom confesses she uses formula

Ashley May | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Mom Bod: Confessions of a breastfeeding mom Ashley May, a journalist at USA TODAY, shares how she's meeting her breastfeeding goals.

I remember deciding to breastfeed like I was choosing meat at the grocery store: organic or processed? For my baby? Organic.

Driving home from work one day, I told my mom: "I'm going to breastfeed for a year." Doctors recommend it, science shows breastmilk is more nutritious than formula and then there's that skin-to-skin bond everyone keeps talking about.

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After cracked nipples, fever-inducing clogged milk ducts (hi, mastitis), worrying over my son’s lower-than normal weight (darn you growth curves) and forgetting what my body felt like when a baby wasn’t attached, I realized choosing to breastfeed was an intense, all-consuming decision. And, I hadn't even gotten through maternity leave. The world of working and pumping loomed ahead, and I wasn't sure I could do it.

With the help of lactation consultants, supportive coworkers and mom friends, I've learned how to achieve my breastfeeding goals (almost). The journey hasn't been perfect or without frustration, but it works for me. And, at the end of every day, I know my 9-month-old son is getting the nutrients he needs.

Here's how I've stayed dedicated to breastfeeding:

1. Faced my fears about showing boobage in public. A supportive partner and good nursing cover goes a long way. (I use Skip*Hop's Grab & Go Hide & Chic Nursing Scarf because it has a mesh window that makes latching easier and assures me my son is breathing when I'm feeling paranoid.) The more I breastfed in public, the easier it became. Now, I feel confident I can breastfeed almost anywhere and it's more convenient than carting around bottles.

2. Schedule pump times on my work calendar, and stick to them. I work in an extremely mom-friendly newsroom. USA TODAY has a woman editor-in-chief (she's also a mom). There are at least two wellness rooms in my building available to pumping moms, and they are nice — lounge-furniture-and-bright-paintings-on-the-wall nice. Still, the decision to pump multiple times a day is a challenge when I have work to do. So, I treat my pump times like important meetings. I have to make them. I talk about them at work, letting people know I have a 10 a.m. appointment so that meeting invite you just sent won't work for me. My baby is depending on it.

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3. Using formula isn't failing. Sometimes — many times — I don't produce enough breast milk pumping. There are days where I'm nearly 10 ounces short. I had to get over this stigma that feeding my son formula was wrong, because it isn't. Breast is best, but formula is perfectly fine, too. Just because I'm not exclusively breastfeeding doesn't mean I'm not meeting my goals, because I've realized what's more important than my decision to breastfeed is my baby's health.

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Listen to Ashley May's journey through pregnancy on the USA TODAY podcast Due Date, available on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. Follow her on Twitter: @AshleyMayTweets

Mom Bod is a USA TODAY video series featuring tips from moms on fitness, nutrition and mental health. The goal? Let's be real about the struggle to "healthy" and learn to love our mom bods.