MamaGray: Superhero?

"I make milk. What's your superpower?"

I came across this saying on a t-shirt the other day and thought it was so clever. I was tempted to buy one, except it was a bit more than I would usually spend on a t-shirt, and chances are, it would be too short on me anyways.

But yes, I make milk.

Nursing has proven to be a challenging undertaking, but it is immensely rewarding. From a nutritional standpoint, it is very empowering to know that you are solely responsible for the growth of your child for the first 6 months of his life. You and only you made those chubby thighs possible.

Aside from providing round the clock nutrition, nursing fosters such a sweet relationship between a mother and her child. It is so wonderful to be nursing and have your son pop off and look up at you with wide eyes, smile at you, then return to eating. In fact, it makes my heart all melty just typing that out!

On the other hand, nursing is also a challenge. With your first child, you don't know what to expect - learning the art of nursing is not easy. Not only are you dealing with engorgement and sore nipples, but you have to make sure you're nursing properly. There are possible physical problems such as clogged ducts (been there, it sucks) and mastitis. And let's not forget: nursing is also very time consuming. I don't remember feeling as tied down with Adam as I did with Miles in the early weeks/months. With Miles, sitting down every 2 hours for 45 minutes or so while he nursed seemed like an eternity in part because I was also responsible for keeping Adam occupied at the same time. I remember feeling very trapped while nursing Miles, as it's hard to nurse when your toddler is getting into things he shouldn't be (he would frequently get into the fridge and bring me items like the eggs and fruit. Talk about testing my patience!).

Like most things, the good outweighs the bad. I am happy to nurse my kids because I believe it is the right thing to do, and for the most part, I enjoy it (Did you know that as the baby nurses, Mom's body releases endorphins that help the her mood? Isn't that amazing?).

It's not for everyone, but I do believe everyone should at least try. I was at a baby shower recently and was chatting up with two girls - one of them had a 3 week old, and the other was single and childless. As the one was pulling out her bottle she made several comments about nursing that made me sad. She remarked that nursing is "So annoying" because it takes so long to feed a newborn, and that her husband was upset because he couldn't help feed the baby. She quit nursing after a few days. Sadly, this is often the case. You cannot be selfish commit to nursing- it will not work. Nursing a newborn can be difficult in the beginning, but annoying? Yikes. What is annoying about cuddling with your new baby and knowing that at this stage of his little life you can give him everything he needs? And, husbands can help with the feedings - just make up a bottle of breastmilk. I felt sad for her, because I want her and every new mom to know what I know - that breastfeeding can be so great. Oh well.

I'll step off of my soapbox now and close with saying that God created a woman's body to do amazing things. I'm very thankful to be able to breastfeed and hope to continue doing so for a while longer...