Happy World Breastfeeding Week! I love reading blog posts and any information I can get my hands on about breastfeeding, so this is a fun week for me. Also having been around the block a few times with it myself and coming up on round three with my upcoming little boy, I am doing a lot of reflecting. Each pregnancy brings about new fears, excitement, and expectations. I’m so relieved that breastfeeding isn’t something I’m nervous about this time around.
My first time as a new breastfeeding mommy with my now four year old, Ellie, was SO tough. I remember before I had her, I thought, “How hard can it really be? I have big boobs and my body is made to do this. It’ll be easy!”. Haha! I was absolutely determined to breastfeed and as a result ended up with seven cases of mastitis in eight weeks! Ouch! I remember a friend coming over and begging me to just stop trying, throw some cabbage leaves and a tight sports bra on those babies, and let it go. But I couldn’t. I felt like I was going to fail my baby and myself. Whether that feeling was truth or not is another story, but it sure felt real to me at the time. Thank goodness Ellie decided at eight weeks that she would finally latch on! I remember just staring at her in disbelief that it was actually happening. Ellie nursed for 17 months and called it quits after that đ
With my second little one, Claire (2 1/2 yrs. old), I was so incredibly nervous and anxious. I worried that I would go through similar latching issues with her and prepared myself for the worst. Much to my surprise, she latched onto me after a few minutes of coming out and never had any problems. I was so happy and couldn’t believe it! Earlier this year I wrote all about my journey with extended breastfeeding with her as she breastfed for a little over two years! If you are interested in reading, follow THIS link.
Now as a “seasoned” mother, I’m able to roll with the punches a lot more. I realize this next little one due in just a few short weeks is going to have his own personality and his own quirks. I have embraced that the newborn stage is full of mystery and surprises. To worry about whether or not he will breastfeed, be a good sleeper, or anything else is just silliness. He will be what he is and we will handle it when he comes! What a breath of fresh air to feel this way. I tell my husband all the time that I actually feel that I think about this baby a lot less. That sounds really bad, but what I think it comes down to is that I am just worrying less!
I’m sure that soon  I will have a unique story to tell about him and our breastfeeding adventures, so stay tuned!
Now it’s your turn- tell us about your journey! Did you breastfeed? Did you try and need to stop for one reason or another? Or did you decide it wasn’t for you from the beginning and bottle feed? Would love to know YOUR story!
