A Journey Into Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding your baby is hard work.  Especially when it’s your first baby.  No amount of research prior to your baby’s arrival can sufficiently prepare you for your nursing relationship. 

I consider myself lucky to have nursed both of my babies for approximately 13 months each (One is still going. Gasp!)  It has not always been easy or fun but it has possibly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.  (Side note:  While I do not plan to still be nursing my child until pre-school or some such age, I also believe in baby-led weaning, so I do not know yet when this current journey will end.  My oldest self-weaned at 13 months.)  I also am privileged to say that four of my closest friends have had successful long-term nursing relationships with their babies.  So, not only did I get to bond with my babies, but I was able to deepen my bond with these friends. 

There is so much information out there on breastfeeding - books, online resources, doctors, breastfeeding professionals, moms, sisters, friends, and the list goes on.  Most of it is really amazing, but depending on where you are getting your information, you may be hearing very different and often misleading information, even some that contradicts other resources.  This is incredibly stressful for a new mom who is just beginning her journey into breastfeeding, and I feel often leads to new moms quitting pre-maturely.

While I am not trained or educated as a breastfeeding professional, I do consider my 26 months and counting to be on-the-job training which makes me qualified to at least impart some pearls of wisdom to other like-minded breastfeeding moms.  I am going to attempt to capture these nuggets through a series of posts – including the highs, the lows, and mostly what we wish we knew then that we know now.   While these are my experiences, and those of my dearest friends, I believe that simply hearing another mom’s story can be helpful to anyone facing even a similar challenge.  I fully acknowledge that breastfeeding does not work for everyone (and if that’s you, that’s totally fine!), but, it is my sincere hope that through my efforts on this blog, I can positively affect at least one other mom to not give up in her breastfeeding journey. 

What breastfeeding topics would you like more information on?  If you have breastfed your baby, what do you wish you knew then that you know now?  Do you have a success story you are proud of?  Please share!