Happy World Breast Feeding Week

Baby Eddy Haskell and Earthy Birthy Mama circa July 1999


I just visited Mamac-Ta's blog and there is the most beautiful picture of Mamac-Ta and her boy nursing. With this being World Breast Feeding Week I just wanted to give a shout out to all those Mamas who nursed or who tried to nurse. I know that some people choose not to breast feed, and I am fine with that, as you know the opinions expressed here are my own.
I just want to share the joys that I have been able to experience while I have nursed two babies. When Eddy was born, he and I had a hard time at first working it out, but once we did we were quite a team. He would choke on milk at first until he learned to wait for my let-down. He would nurse to sleep, and when he was learning to walk he fell really hard a few times and just wanted his mama to soothe his pains. Then one day when he was about 17 months old he just stopped, he did not need me anymore. He just woke up one day and realized he was an independent little man and did not want to nurse. I had recently left the "sperm donor" and I went through a sort of post-postpartum depression. I really missed those close times with him and I needed the contact, but he was growing and becoming a very independent young person. As an added bonus of nursing Eddy I was back down to what I weighed in high school!

I met the Anti-Hippie in 04 and was happy with one kiddo and thought that I did not need anymore children. Meanwhile, I touted the benefits of breastfeeding to anyone who would listen. Not many people want to breastfeed, many people think it is gross, it takes too much time, or they are too modest, or they do not want to admit that breast are really naturally designed for babies. I bought breastfeeding books for friends who were having babies and I still tell women I know who are pregnant or are thinking of getting pregnant that I will help them and give them the support that they need if they want to try and breastfeed. (I secretly want to become a lactation consultant and work with new mothers. )I digress, the Anti Hippie and I decided that when we had a baby they would be breastfed, and lo-and-behold we had Baby Gnat last summer and she is still being fed by my wonderful breasts. She is a marathon nurser, she wants to nurse all the time, in her own way. If she could she would nurse all night and all day, in between being nosey about the world around her, she likes to look around while she nurses. With the awesome babysitter I had I was able to pump and nurse at lunch and Baby Gnat was able to have breast milk almost the whole time while at R's house. R even fed Baby Gnat her bottle in a way that was similar to the way that I hold her when she nurses. I sometimes had to supplement with formula due to medication, but otherwise Eddy and Baby Gnat are both breastfed babies.

I want to thank those people who supported me and those who are still supporting me and my decisions. I also want to tell all those Mamas who nursed, who tired nursing, and who are still nursing keep up the good work, and Happy World Breast Feeding Week '08.