Here’s what breastfeeding has taught me:
To have a patience like no other.
To have trust, there were no measurements or taking notes, I went by her cues and she didn’t let me down.
I was forced to sit down and just stop, yes I noticed the dust on the TV cabinet, but I took a deep breath and took her in too.
It was a great aid to get her to sleep, it worked bloody wonders! No rods over here as she doesn’t need it now, nothing is forever.
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That just because it didn’t happen the first time it doesn’t mean it won’t with subsequent babies.
The word “natural” is misleading, it’s a learned skill.
Being told to push through pain might be seen as encouraging, it can also be very damaging.
That being a part of the itty bitty titty committee doesn’t mean that your feeding facilities aren’t 5 star.
That it’s perfectly acceptable to cry over spilt milk when that milk is breastmilk.
There is no time limit on how long or often you feed, those books will never translate the language you and your baby will develop together on this journey. So listen to each other.
That if you can’t breastfeed you haven’t “failed” we need to talk about the real stuff. The more we do we’ll see these expectations only derived from not being open in the first place.
We need support for mothers who have tried to breastfeed but are unable to, there is a great wound there mentally, it needs addressing (no pun).
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That a good feeding chair is essential, you’ll be there a lot.
That exclusive breastfeeding is one heck of a commitment & one heck of an achievement.
That support, no matter how you feed your child, can shape your whole journey.
That anyone who has an issue with breastfeeding in public should be the one who gets up to leave.
That grabbing each boob to work out which one was fed off last is accurate.
Catching her eye in these moments is something no photo would ever capture.
I started writing this without tears & now I have them.
Because our journey has ended.
But I’ll never be sad that I have the privilege of watching her grow through each milestone. Whatever she leaves behind means I’ve done my job in helping her reach where she’s going to next.
My greatest learning of all.
~
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