Fed is best — just ask Leslie Means. The Nebraska-based mother of three took to Facebook in late August to share a photo of her freshly pumped breast milk.
“There’s 4+ ounces in one, 1/2 an ounce in the other,” Means wrote. In the post she explained that her right breast has always been able to produce more than the left.
“Could I have tried and tried and eaten better things, and visited more lactation people and spend more time to get lefty to work? Probably,” the 35-year-old revealed. “Did I choose my sanity instead? You bet.”
Means, who runs the contributor-based lifestyle website Her View From Home, went on to explain that the milk is for her infant son Keithan. “He’s my third baby. He’s also huge. He gets a combo of breast milk and formula. Trust me. He’s doing great,” she explained. “His sisters? They had the same combo. Their mom (aka me) back in 1981? You better believe my mama gave me formula. AH! Formula.”
In the post, Means urged her followers to believe in themselves. “Mama — YOU ARE PERFECT,” she wrote, adding that perfect parents bottle-feed, breast-feed, let their kids eat Cheetos every day, drink too much wine and allow their children to rock Bon Jovi T-shirts at age six.
“Don’t listen to what anyone else has to say,” she instructed. “Listen to your instincts. God gave them to mothers for a reason. Trust in that. And know that you are raising your babies perfectly.”
Means’ message struck a chord with many women. “I needed this. I’m so tired of people saying ‘oh well you should breastfeed because it’s better. I Try,” wrote one mom. Added another: “THIS IS ME!!! Feeling guilty is the curse of all mommas.”
Means is thrilled her post is resonating. “Feeding a baby looks different for every woman,” she tells Us Weekly. “And that’s OK! As long as they are being fed, that’s all that matters.”
