It’s World Breastfeeding Week. With the exception of five months, I’ve been lactating for the past four years. I nursed my #1 son, who is now 4-years-old, until he was 2.5 and I currently nurse my #2 son (he is 15 months).
Without knowing much about breastfeeding, I dived into it with my first son. I ignored the dumb remarks such as one from my nurse, who told me, “Don’t let him use you as a pacifier!” Even being as ignorant as I was about nursing, that comment did not sit well with me and I put her on ignore.
I did what felt natural to me: I nursed him whenever he made a peep and always nursed him to sleep for naps and at night (and yes, he sleeps quite well on his own now, thanks). Yes, I was mildly confused as to why he wanted to nurse again after just an hour or why it’s been two hours and I’m still sitting here with a baby attached to my boob. I just went with the flow and read a book and dinner would be whatever the heck can be rustled up. No one will die.
I am thankful I was lucky enough to stay home with my babies and not worry about going back to work, having to pump. I bow down to women that do that because it’s hard as hell.
I have and still enjoy nursing. It’s relaxing for everyone involved. It forces you to slows things down. This is normal and always was. Now, yes, things are different, industrialized and faster paced. But we humans have the power to create a world where everything that I mentioned above about breastfeeding is all normal within our modernized lifestyles. We just have to do the work to achieve it.