After having 4 kids and getting ready to give birth to #5… there is one thing that I can say that I absolutely love.
Obviously I love babies – and the opportunity to have another one at home is going to be amazing once again. I enjoy to see my kids play with their new sibling… I enjoy every minute of watching them sleep, grow, and everything that goes on in between as they grow from their infancy stage.
But there is ONE thing that I absolutely LOVE .. and that is breastfeeding. From the moment I breastfed our first, I knew that I would fall in love with this special time between mom and baby.
Every child I had breastfed for different lengths of time – one for 2 1/2 years, and some for a year and a half. Others, just over a year . Some weaned themselves, and some had lots of challenges when we tried to wean – so we continued, and let them go until they were ready to stop.
With the first, I was working full time shortly after her birth – but I toted my Medela Pump everywhere. I took it to Military Recruiting Stations and put my milk on ice… I stopped at gas stations on long road trips to pump under the privacy of a blanket in the car, only to put it on ice in a cooler – my milk was prized, and I was proud to say that even when I worked a very demanding job, I was still able to make it work for my child.
All of my kids are extremely healthy – and I know that is the result of not only breastfeeding, but great food and a different approach to personal wellness.
If you have littles and you breastfeed, or if you did in the past, some of these might resonate with you ~ here are some reasons this Mamma Loves Breastfeeding.
1. It’s incredibly EASY.
Obviously it’s not easy for all mammas, because many can really struggle with breastfeeding. But if you are a pumping mama, that is not easy either. As a working mom with baby 1, I pumped all the time.. and it was a challenge. But at least with breastfeeding, it’s relatively easy – after your initial week or two out of the hospital. And for new moms it might be an adjustment period of a few weeks (or, months) but after that it truly gets better.
And when the baby is hungry? Having the ability to feed wherever you are helps too.
2. Seeing them Clamor for the Boob
Little babies love to feed ~ and when they get hungry, it’s cute to see them go crazy and gasp for air as you take out the breast for them to eat. It’s adorable.
3. It Makes the Night Time Easy
Thankfully I have had kids that sleep through the night – no kidding, I don’t know what I did to get that luck. But Breastfeeding makes the nights even easier. When they get hungry, I can basically pull over and let the baby feed, then wait for their belly to get full and let them go back to sleep.
4. Breastfeeding IS the Best
Being a mamma is hard – and with breastfeeding I know that I am giving my child the best option out there as they start their lives as littles. When I had my 4th, I experienced a brief week that my milk dissipated – it was the hardest week I have ever had to go through.
I’m thankful for Essential Oils (Fennel specifically) which helped reestablish my milk supply and allowed me to continue to feed my daughter until she was just over a year old.
5. Gives me Purpose as a Mamma
After having several children, your body gets stretched out – you agonize over your figure, you might wish you were firmer, thinner, perhaps you wish you could bring your breasts back to their original shape & form before kids. But in the end, breastfeeding helps me LOVE my body because I know that it is serving a great purpose to help my little one grow in what is the most important time of their life for nutrition.
6. Milky Breath and Face
When the baby feeds and feeds and comes up to gasp for air, and you can see the milky white dripping off their chin and their milky breath smell as their mouth gapes open for more… that’s priceless. Absolutely priceless.
7. Bonding Time
There is NOTHING like that special quiet time you have when you both sit down for feeding ~ it helps you put things in perspective in your life, as you cradle your baby while he/she eats. It’s almost as if it’s permission to relax, amidst the hustle of the day, or hustle you experience with the other children you have. Sometimes those few minutes of quiet time are some of the most treasured moments of the day.
There is something about breastfeeding that is absolutely amazing – I can’t put my finger on it… I touched on my loves above, but I love having the opportunity to be able to make this work well for my children and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As we prepare to enter another chapter in our lives with baby #5, I know that this will be my last opportunity to enjoy the breastfeeding experience. It has always been difficult to move on and see them wean themselves after you have formed that bond with them for so long.
What did you (or, do you) love about Breastfeeding?