Embracing

In the past few months I've been presented with opportunities to make several of my favorite hobbies into something a little more substantial. In the next month or two I'll (hopefully) be turning my photography habit into an actual business. (Not at all unrelated: if anyone out there wants to help me with a website, drop me a line!) Additionally, I recently became a group leader for the local breast feeding support group.

Before Sam was born I didn't really think too much about breastfeeding, except for the fact that I'd give it a try. I also didn't think I'd last too long nursing my boy. I never actually purchased any formula, but I thought about it. My attitude was, at best, indifferent.

That all changed the moment my boy latched on for the first time. I stared at his tiny face, watched his little jaw working the meager portions of milk from my body that very first time, and a light went on inside my body. A hormone-fueled light for sure, but it burned so intensely it was like nothing I had ever felt before. This feeling, I though, had to be the driving force behind millions of years of human reproduction.

Even through a terribly painful case of thrush I continued to nurse. The pain was so intense that I wept, but the payoff was so amazing that I would bite down on a washcloth to keep from crying out. Finally, after a few weeks, we were back to our new normal, and I never looked back.

The first time we tried to give Sam a bottle of pumped milk I almost threw up, I was so upset. Since then I've gotten a little less crazy about the kids getting a bottle of mother's milk, but recently when our sitter informed me that Freddie learned how to hold his own bottle, I was a bit traumatized. I'm already feeling a bit anxious about a trip we're planning for June of 2012, because I have zero intention of weaning him before his second birthday. I honestly think, five and a half years after that initial latch, that I am addicted to whatever hormone cascade occurs during nursing.

So to help focus all of this crazy nurturing energy I have, I volunteered to help lead the Morgantown Breastfeeding Support Group. Previously a friend of mine was the leader, and it was a La Leche League sanctioned group, but she recently moved away and she needed a replacement. We had our first meeting yesterday, and it went really well. We had a nice turnout, and I got to meet some new people and their lovely little babies. I'm hoping that, beyond socializing, that we'll be able to promote and assist breastfeeding mommies. But socializing is fun, too! Also, since it's 99.98% certain that I won't be having any more babies, I'll be able to get a pretty good dose of baby fix at the meetings. Everybody wins!

I don't have all of the answers, but luckily my co-leader is a nurse and lactation consultant, so we've got our bases pretty well covered. I'm really excited about this new endeavor, and hope that if any of you out there are in the Morgantown area you'll spread the word about our growing group!