Thoughts on Breastfeeding Now

when Gemma was about 2 months old . . . I nursed her while simultaneously eating stir-fry with chopsticks and was quite proud of myself . . . note the nursing cover to the right . . .

You might be thinking, "What more is there to say than that she loves it?" It's true; I do love it. Having to pump milk exclusively for six weeks taught me to appreciate the privilege of breastfeeding even more. But after reviewing Janet Tamaro's So That's What They're For! as a pregnant person (here and here), I thought I should give something of a follow-up now that I have a baby on the outside and have some experience of my own. It's even almost in time for Mother's Day. :)

Now for the PG part . . .

Nursing Gemma has changed how I view my body for the simple reason that I have never touched or looked at my own breasts this much before in my life. When I was exclusively pumping, I called them the "work horses."

I'm actually very glad that I wrote that post about the sexuality of breasts, because now that they're performing their other primary function about eight times a day, it's easy to forget. I can see why some moms feel comfortable nursing openly in public. We just get used to a baby needing them all the time! What's the big deal? My husband (rightly) wants to make sure that I'm discreet and use my cover. To be honest, though, if I hadn't sworn to the blogging world that I would do just that, I might have caved to doing what is easier.

Receiving blankets work for some, but not for me . . . I have to be able to see my baby . . .

Speaking of covers, it appears that my friend is no longer making them for sale. There are, of course, lots of places to get them, and some people manage completely without them, but I do not seem to be one of those people! When Gemma was three weeks old, we were at my parents' home. I was trying to nurse her using a receiving blanket for a cover, but she was having trouble latching so I ended up under the blanket, too. John decided from then on that the cover ALWAYS goes with us!

One more thing. As Christians, "we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). It's a comfort to know that tough times are for good reasons, even though we can't always see the reasons. Sometimes we get to see the reasons later on. When my arms were out of commission, I learned that I was not in control of my life, and that was good. But God graciously has already produced more good out of that trial. He wanted this little one's mother to choose life for her, and to choose a loving Christian family for her, and He wanted her to have the extra milk that Gemma didn't need.

"Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered."

Psalm 40:5