Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

This is a very special week for me and all of my fellow lactating mamas...it is World Breastfeeding Week!  How cool is that?  An entire week dedicated to the goodness of breastmilk and all of the benefits that come with it!  So I figured, what better time than now to write a post about this subject that I have become oh-so passionate about?

You see...over the past sixteen and a half months, I have become a HUGE advocate of breastfeeding.  (Well, let me rephrase - I have always been a big supporter of it, but now I have a deep personal connection to it as well!)  I feel so, so strongly about not only all of the great things that a baby gets from this ultra-special source of nutrition, but also all of the wonderful things that it does for the mothers too.  For instance, did you know that breastfed babies have fewer digestive problems and bowel movement issues and that mothers who breastfeed may have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer?  Yup...and those are only two of the dozens and dozens of wonderful things about it!  Of course, I realize that for some moms it is challenging, and I realize that for some babies it does not come quite as naturally...but like all good things, a little work can result in some big time payoffs!

For us, it has not always been an easy and idealistic journey.  My first experience with breastfeeding was in a recovery room, half out of my mind on pain meds, and attached to a pump.  Not exactly what I imagined for beginning this phase of mine and Hayes's life.  From there, I went on to power pump both day and night to help jump start my supply since my little bitty guy was several hospital floors away and being fed intravenous fluids.  Then came the long days spent in the NICU with Hayes learning to take and tolerate my liquid gold and me pumping every few hours religiously by his bedside.  Oh, and I was still waking up throughout the night to pump in order to mimic the eating habits of a newborn too.  That was fun.  After almost four weeks of that schedule, we finally got to bring Hayes home.  I was so excited to throw the pump parts and bottles out the window and finally begin nursing.  But oh, was I wrong.  Hayes had full blown nipple confusion, and my boobs were producing waaay too much for the little man to consume.  So we went through nipple shields, hour long nursing/bottle/pumping sessions, and lots of tears from us both until finally...after several months...Hayes finally began breastfeeding exclusively!  I was ecstatic.  Until he decided that he DESPISED bottles.  So, there went my freedom of leaving the house for more than a couple of hours.  Ugh!

Needless to say, it was a long and rocky road...but so incredibly worth it in the end.  And I can honestly say, it has been one of the biggest blessings of all!  It has created such a deep and precious bond between Hayes and I, and it has also provided amazing nutrition for him even up until today.  (No, I am not one of those moms who whips it out in the middle of the mall on a Sunday afternoon.  We have weaned down to just one last nursing before bed in the privacy of our own home!)  However, I am sad to say that this precious, little piece of our life is quickly coming to an end.  I will always hold this special time between me and my favorite boy so dear, and I am so thankful that we have been able to do it for so long...but it is time to bring this beautiful chapter to an end.  And what a beautiful and celebratory week to do it on!  Happy World Breastfeeding Week!