World Breastfeeding Week

As I was checking out some blogs I was reminded that Aug 1-7 is World Breastfeeding Week. 5 Minutes For Mom had a wonderful idea that moms should share their breastfeeding experiences. So here is mine………

I breastfed Leelee until she was 26 months old. I still remember the last night we nursed. Thinking back now it makes me so emotional but at the time I was ready to be done. I always thought I would do child-led weaning. For whatever reason I got to a point where I was ready to be done. Over the course of about six to eight months I slowly weaned her from nursing anytime of the day to specific times and then slowly cut those ones down one at a time. She handled it really well, which I’m so thankful for.

Lex is almost six months old and he took to breastfeeding like a champ right from the start. You know the diaper shirts that say, “I’m a breast man”….that’s my boy. He’s not interested in taking a bottle of expressed milk and neither was his sister. I find that doesn’t bother me though. They’re little for such a short amount of time and I cherish those times that I spent and do spend breastfeeding.

Leelee was not interested in eating solid foods until she was 13 months old. At the time that totally stressed me out. As a new mom I thought that everything should go by the book……….now I know that real life makes it’s own story. I was so happy that I was breastfeeding her because I knew that she was getting all the nutrition she needed from me. And she certainly didn’t suffer; she was the chubbiest little baby around. Now I’m in no rush to get Lex started on solids. It’s just so convenient to breastfeed. However, his personality is so much different from Leelee’s that I know he’ll be in to the solids like crazy.

My favorite part of breastfeeding…………there are so many. I love the bonding, and the quiet time. No matter how crazy life is, there’s always those few minutes (both my kids are/were efficient nursers) to sit down or lie down and just take a breather.

Shortly after Lex was born I noticed that Leelee was cradling one of her dolls and holding her shirt up as if to breastfeed. I asked her what she was doing and she replied "my baby needs mamas too". Mamas is our family's code word for breastfeeding. I was so proud of her!

I read a quote not very long ago and now I can’t remember where it was or who said it. But it goes kind of like this; “Babies were born with the instinct to suck and women were made with the ability to produce milk. Putting the two together just seems like the natural thing to do.” I just love that! It's so true.

There are so many things that I would love to tell new moms or moms-to-be. I don’t know if I can choose just one. I would definitely recommend visiting their local La Leche League group. That is one support that I would not want to be without.

Happy World Breastfeeding Week Everyone!