August happens to be the month of my son's birth; if you haven't noticed, the countdown is down to just two small weeks! Fittingly, August is also National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, and August 1 through 7 is World Breastfeeding Week. As the week dwindles down and my countdown to one year of breastfeeding slowly ticks away, I thought it fitting to compile a list of what I have learned from breastfeeding my son for one year with another year probable to come (I'm going to let him decide when he'd like to stop, whether it is in a month or another year, it will be his choice).
... There is no love like the love of a breastfed baby.
The bond between Niko and me is amazing. He definitely loves his Mama! I wholeheartedly attribute our closeness to breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a profoundly intimate experience and is the physical manifestation of sincere love and giving of oneself to nourish another. He was nourished by my placenta (the coolest organ humans are able to possess!) in utero and continues to be nourished by me to this day through breastfeeding. The cuddles, the drifting to sleep, the tickles, the kisses, the smiles... The bond we have has made every hardship we've faced in our breastfeeding journey worthwhile and insignificant.
 |
| That's my placenta! I miss it... It's in my freezer. What a wonderous organ! It doesn't look like a pancake, though... |
... The health benefits of breastfeeding are astounding!
Did you know that by kissing your baby, you are able to more effectively provide immune support? When a mother kisses her new baby, she picks up germs and passes antibodies for those specific flora to her baby through breastmilk, helping to create an immunocompetent individual able to discern normal flora from potential pathogens. Breastmilk similarly aids in allergy relief by providing antibodies and appropriate exposure to allergens. These same qualities make breastmilk an exceptional topical solution for cleaning and relieving, even being adequate as a nasal rinse! Breastfeeding is good for mom, too! It can be a great way to lose some baby weight (although this didn't work for me...) and helps reduce the likelihood of developing breast cancer later in life. It is also a great way to regulate hormones in the Fourth Trimester to help stave away Post-Partum Depressions (plus it makes your boobies look great! What better self-esteem booster than nice boobies!).
 |
| Niko - Schwasted at 2 months on some Mama Juice! |
... Breastfeeding is hard... but it comes naturally and gets easier.
Most women do not experience a 100% easy breastfeeding journey. There will always be obstacles. Starting from the moment your baby is born, the obstacles can begin. If you make it through totally unscathed, you have had a miracle birth, especially if it is your first! My own troubles began as our discharge from the hospital drew nearer - Niko wasn't putting on weight, and despite the lactation consultant giving us two thumbs up on our form, we had to utilize an SNS and add formula to our feeding so we could leave. Once I was home, my incision split open, causing numerous problems, including making pumping difficult (I would have to have my incision repacked immediately after getting out of the shower, so I was unable to pump/feed after, which lead to some supply issues since I had a crazy letdown each time I got out of the shower... like spilled milk all over my bedroom floor). As months passed and I returned back to work, I found it difficult to pump at work - I could only get comfortable in one of the sales guys' offices and felt rushed, yielding less milk than I knew was there. I have had a thyroid condition for years now, but about four months PP, my numbers went crazy, causing my milk to dip severely. I went on a costly medication to help reinstate my lactation abilities (thankfully it worked). All through this, from the beginning to now, I have had limited support (Not to downplay my awesome friends who have provided immense support!). My mother has been a mixed bag on the breastfeeding - supporting, not supporting, insisting that it be done ultra-privately. My father is totally weirded out by it - he can't even be in the same room if I'm feeding baby even if I'm totally covered. My brother and sister have been ambivalent but supportive. My grandmother was very supportive, as she breastfed all of her 9 children, but now that we're at 12 months, I think she thinks it's time to quit. Thankfully, my bestie breastfed/breastfeeds her girls (and extendedly, too!), my other bestie breastfed her son for 3 months, and my two Summer of '10 Mama friends are still going hard with breastfeeding, one even into her second pregnancy! One of my biggest supporters was a friend at work, who was just going through a nasty divorce with his LLL Leader ex-wife, who assured me that he knew all about breastfeeding and I could ask him anything. A man's perspective was actually great! It's tough to get through the seeming lack of support sometimes, but I'm resolved to continue and little can be done or said to sway me. I'm sure there are a whole slew of other Boobie Traps, but these are the ones I faced...
 |
| Boobs! |
... Breastfeeding requires little equipment.
There are a lot of breastfeeding paraphernalia available. Chances are you don't need three quarters of it. What I ended up needing were... a nice set of bottles (Tommee Tippee Closer to Nature... I can't recommend these enough, along with the rest of their lines of infant and toddler feeding items), a hand pump (the hospital provided me with a Medela Harmony Hand Pump - great pump!), an electronic pump if you plan on working or leaving for extended periods (I bought an Ameda Purely Yours for $40 on Craigslist and spent another $20 buying replacement tubing and accessories... not bad!), breastpads for popped leaks (reuseable are best, but the Lansinoh disposables are awesome, too!), storage bags or containers (BPA free, freezable - I like the Lansinoh ones but am happy that Target Up & Up brand bags has just hit the shelves - definitely going to try them out!), and I really really love my Milkies Milk Saver for catching that extra bit to store! Nursing bras/tanks are useful but not absolutely necessary. Boppy pillows or My Breast Friend pillows are nice, but not for everyone (I didn't like using it... it really only got used to prop baby up and not often at that). Nursing covers can be cool, but a receiving blanket works just as well. You can buy bracelets/watches/reminders, etc., but I never remembered to switch them (I just used a regular bracelet that I had... for a day, then I stopped).
 |
| Reason No. 7920 Why Boobs Are Great: Comfy Pillows! |
... It's up to breastfeeding mothers to one-by-one help normalize breastfeeding.
The numbers are ever-increasing of mothers who breastfeed in the first months and are getting somewhat better for those who continue at 6 and 12 months. Unfortunately, breastfeeding is still sort of taboo, due to our over-sexualization of breasts (Admittedly, men like boobies. You know why? Deep down, it's because the know nice boobs make nice milk for the babies they are going to have with the women who have nice boobies. It's a fact. Check your evolutionary biology textbook!) and our inability to separate the multiple functions different organs are capable of. I think it's getting better, but the more exposure people have to something foreign, the more comfortable they are considering doing it and more likely they are to do it. Whether it is in front of other children (my friend's 3 year old accused Niko of biting me - "No, no, honey, he's *eating* not biting."), boys or girls, preteens, other young adults, teenagers, elderly folks - whoever - the more accustomed people are to seeing it, the less weird it becomes. It is up to us to encourage other mothers in doing this - letting them know that it's great! It's normal! It's natural! It's not weird!!! One by one, we are changing the masses for the better, and it is our civic duty to help improve the quality of life for our fellow humans!
I wanted to make this a short and sweet post, which obviously I am incapable of doing... But really, these are some of the major lessons I've learned from breastfeeding and some of the things I would recommend to other mothers.
I'm so happy that I decided to breastfeed my son, and I look forward to the remainder of this journey! I hope that one day he has his own children and that he is supportive of his wife (yeah, he better be married!) and likewise to his children for their children. Hopefully by that time, it is a non-issue! One day at a time!
♥♥♥
An ounce of breastmilk is even more potent than the finest tequila - Tori Amos
♥♥♥
Got a lesson to add? Let me know! Share in the comments or on the FaceBook.
0 have commented:
Post a Comment