#normalizenursing

[thesunmoonandjune-blog]

Boob Talk

From the second you become pregnant it is presumed that it is ok to talk about everything.  EVERYTHING.  Don't get me wrong, after giving birth with at least 8 people in the same room staring at my vagina I'm a little more laid back, but that doesn't make it right.  

You wouldn't ask your male colleague if his ankles were swelling, would you?  Or if his balls had become more sensitive?  Did he have a baby on purpose?  You get my point.

The audacity of peoples questions really threw me for a loop, and somehow continues to do so as I bring my little bundle out into the world with me.  Yes, I breastfeed.  No, I do not plan on baptizing and christening my child.  Yes, she will be vaccinated.  No, I haven't started saving for her college tuition yet.  She is two months, give me a break!

Scratch that..give us all a break.  My main motivation for writing this is to touch on the topic of breastfeeding.  Im a huge fan of the #normalizebreastfeeding movement for multiple reasons.  I breastfeed my baby, and I should be comfortable to do so wherever I please.  My little girl is hungry and my tits are leaking..and you want me to hide?  Breastfeeding is one of the most natural, beautiful things that we as women can do.  Why should we have to censor ourselves?

As wonderful and gratifying as it may be, its not easy.  Im sure some women are pros, but I am not one of them and you may not be either.  One of my breasts produces 4x the milk of the other.  They are lopsided non stop and its quite uncomfortable.  I get anxiety about hind milk and I'm scared to put lotion on even though they itch like crazy!  Latching was really hard for us and though we have gotten better..this shit is straight up tricky y’all.

It is by NO MEANS ok to ask a stranger, or really any woman at all in my opinion, if they are breastfeeding.  Are they feeding you?  No?  Then fuck off.  I have had random women in the grocery store ask me about my milk makers and while I kindly smile and reassure them I'm doing what they think is best, I'm doing it for me and my daughter.  There are so many issues you can have when it comes to breastfeeding and there is absolutely no room for judgement.  I believe in breastfeeding for MY daughter and thats all that matters.  Whether you choose to not breastfeed or it just didn't work out (which happens ALL the time) I support your choice.  This motherhood thing is rough and with judgments being thrown at us non-stop, the last thing we need to be chastised over is what we intend to do with our boobs. 

Respect women, respect their bodies, and respect their choices. 

[makinglifebrighter-blog]

Why Breastfeeding In Public Is Not A Problem

By: Alexis Barrett

Breastfeeding has picked up a lot of support over the years. Amazing right? I know. We are normalizing in it the US. Women are even meeting in public to breastfeed together to support the movement. Even more amazing. 

I am currently breastfeeding my youngest and when he is hungry I feed him. I don’t pack a cover because he doesn’t like one, I don’t pump milk and bring it because he won’t take a bottle. I certainly don’t sit in public and let my child cry in hunger. I feed him. Yes with my boob. 

There have been more and more polls on Facebook on local news channels asking the public if it’s okay for a mother to breastfeed in public. I started reading some answers and let me just tell you I was fuming. Here are just a few.

“Covered up yes”

“These people are so desperate for any kind of attention that they don't care how moronic they seem to everyone else. I understand feeding your baby, but be a decent human being and try to cover up a little. Otherwise head outside and do like the rest of the animals.“

“She just wants attention and drama. Big deal, cover up for teen kids.”

My thought on these replies:

My son hates, absolutely hates being covered up. H e pushes it off, and kicks it and eventually screams at me if i continue to make unwanted efforts. Also I will not move from where I am sitting, go in a dirty public bathroom and feed my child, nor will I go outside in the cold and rainy weather. 

Another thing, there is a law protecting mother who breastfeed in public. You can not ask a mother to leave a store, or restaurant, or school for feeding her hungry baby. So why is this still a question. 

Me not covering up is not hurting anyone and it defiantly isn’t showing disrespect to those around me.

If you think that breastfeeding in public is immoral, taboo, wrong, disrespectful, or anything related. Check yourself. A mother has the option to cover up. Covers were not made for mothers to cover up, they were made for a mother who wants to cover or has a baby who gets easily distracted in public place and has trouble latching on when there is so much going on around them. 

Don’t force them onto mothers. 

[adeeskid]

9 Months Later and we're still going 😁😊

[femestella]

Every Time Plus-Size Model Tess Holliday Clapped Back at Breastfeeding Shamers >>> http://bit.ly/2mj14T3

[babydustdreams]

Breastfeeding Update!

Today marks three weeks since we stopped using the nipple shield! I am so proud of Malachi for learning so quickly to latch on without it, and I'm  also proud of myself for having the confidence to trust my own body and not go back to the shield. From what I have heard and read online, it is extremely hard to wean off of the shield once you start using one, and it gets harder to do the longer you use it. I am really glad we went to the lactation consultant so early and were able to be off of it by the time Malachi was a week old. I LOVE breastfeeding. After all of the horror stories I heard about the pain involved, the cracked and bleeding nipples, the time commitment, and awkwardness; I was nervous to say the least. To my surprise though, it hasn’t been any of those things. Malachi’s latch is perfect despite my flat nipples (THANK GOD!), and there is no pain while he is nursing or after, my nipples are not sore and bleeding like I heard that they would be, and feeding my baby is definitely not awkward! I will say that while it is a time commitment, feeding your baby in any form is going to take a bit of time, and I actually find our nursing sessions to be a time I really look forward to during the day. I get to really relax and just focus on Malachi and I really enjoy that. I use an app to track the length of our feedings and count diaper changes throughout the day. I feel a little guilty because lately I always find myself focusing more on the numbers and less on actually enjoying the nursing session. I try to always get us to hit 2 hours total per day, which is easier some day than others. I seem to have an over-active let down and an over supply of milk in general, which sometimes leads to Malachi nursing for very short lengths of time per session. He is having a good amount of wet and dirty diapers per day though, so I really need to try and worry less about the time. Overall, breastfeeding is going wonderfully and I feel extremely blessed that I am able to do it.

[evsmytinyhuman]

She never latched in the hospital and I didn’t get to breast feed Bc we could not for the life of us get her to latch. I pumped for 2 weeks and with my postpartum depression it was killing me and I had to stop. My amazing friend suggested to let her comfort ‘nurse’ and she latches two times a day! I’m just so proud of myself for trying still after 2 months!