My thoughts last night were not just on life and how awesome it is, but on nursing and the BEAUTIFUL gift it is to our babies that we are able to provide that nourishment their bodies need when they are so new and fresh to this world.
My grandmother, mother to four boys, told me when I got pregnant that I should nurse Kane, and not just nurse him for a little, but as long as I wanted/needed. She nursed her four boys, each, for three months before switching to formula and told me she wished she had done it longer. All four of these boys have grown up healthy mind you, and formula has advanced by leaps and bounds in the last 55 years, so obviously it isn't a bad thing, it just isn't the BEST thing.
Some people view nursing in a not so positive/more of a nuisance kind of way, and I can not seem to grasp why anyone would think something so natural is not so natural. I am by no means a nursing know-it-all, I just know what an amazing thing it truly is.
The beginning is definitely no walk in the park, but was pregnancy a walk in the park?
Nope, didn't think so.
But there are a TON of people out there to give nursing support and guidance to get through the tough beginning stages, and YES they do know what they are talking about, each person just needs to work until they find what works for them.
Nursing has so many benefits to the mother as well! It helps burn excess baby weight that you may have gained (which our bodies probably gain that weight in order to burn it through nursing, but who knows), it helps your uterus contract back down to its normal size (which def is one of those not-so-fun side effects of the beginning of nursing). It also gives you a chance to connect with your baby and a chance to RELAX! Oh man was I so grateful at times that I HAD to slip away in order to nourish my baby. Sometimes it was a little inconvenient at family functions when kids would be wondering what you were doing, or you were fighting with the blanket to stay covered and help your baby at the same time.
It is also true that babies that nurse, eat more often, but that is also natural. I felt like I was just a feeding station at some moments, I even joked about it with a friend that our only job at that moment was to produce milk like a cow! But even though nursing babies eat more often they are getting the exact nutrients their bodies need at that stage in their lives.
At first there is colostrum, which the babies need for their immune system now that they have entered this entirely new environment, not protected by mommy's uterus. Then milk comes in that offers the baby nourishment to grow and a continued source of immunity. Once they get past their one year mark milk becomes fattier in order to help with brain development and so much more. The amount of milk produced also changes with the needs of your baby! Seriously, how amazing is it that our bodies can do so much stuff!!
And did I mention how much more economical it is?! There are no factories needed to produce your babies nourishment, nor will all the packaging waste wind up in landfills! You will still use bottles, but possibly not as much. (Not an eco-nut by any means, just an extra POSITIVE thought on the matter).
2 comments:
I could go on and on too. There are other neurobiochemical processes that assist women in so many other ways. Of course, the babies reap the largest benefit, but mom's benefits are proving to be as grand! I share an office with our unit's lactation consultant, and I am going to share your post with her - it will make her smile.
AMEN SISTER!!!!!! Women who do not breast feed but are perfetly capable do not have their babys BEST interest at heart. Your so much nicer in how you say it :)
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