World Breastfeeding Week (Aug 1-7, 2010)

"While breastfeeding may not seem the right choice for every parent,
it is the best choice for every baby." Amy Spangler
Breastfeeding is a subject near and dear to my heart. I remember the struggles I had trying to get Piper to latch correctly. How when I was visiting a lactation consultant she would nurse but we would completely fall apart when at home alone. That LC made me feel so inadequate. I felt like it was something that I should know how to do b/c I was a woman and now a mother. Feeding my child should come naturally. It doesn't always work that way for a lot of new mamas and my journey to breastfeeding ended 2 weeks later and I attached myself to a pump for the next 12 months rather than my daughter. My milk had gone away substantially at that time b/c I was 3 months pregnant with our Violet so I threw in the towel. Over the course of that pregnancy I was determined to make breastfeeding work no matter what. Since this was basically my first time as a nursing mama I saw lactation for 2 weeks after she arrived. We worked hard and I happily breastfed our Violet for the next 21 months. Suddenly I am not a person who believes that you magically don't need breast milk anymore when your babe turns a year old. Ruby is still nursing strong at 16 months. When will she stop? I don't know but why fix what isn't broken?




I love that there is a World Breastfeeding Week. Over the course of the next week I will happily visit other mama's blogs from all over the world who are celebrating the week as I am. Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing and I love sharing my story with other ladies that maybe, like me, had a bad experience. I want to encourage them b/c it can be a very beautiful and fulfilling time in their lives, at least it has been for me.

Read more...