It’s easy to let the quiet rhythm of daily breastfeeding become a familiar, almost monotonous “task.” But when I talk to other women in the same boat, my perspective shifts: sustaining a little one with my body is no small feat. When I poke my head out of the trenches of my own experience, I see the magic of breastfeeding with new eyes. Chatting with Annie reminded me of the beauty of breastfeeding all over again and made me so thankful for the opportunity I’ve had to nourish my own baby in this way. So here’s part II of our interview–whether you’re a nursing mama or not, I think you’ll find Annie’s story inspiring.
What were your experience with and thoughts on breastfeeding before you had a baby of your own? I knew I wanted to. My partner breastfed our daughter for 13 months, my mom breastfed me for almost two years, my village of friends all breastfeed. So I would say I felt determined to do it, nervous about making that happen, and supported by those around me.
What made you want to breastfeed? Mainly the health benefits to me and baby. Plus I knew I would get to sneak away each night to breastfeed before bedtime and avoid the chaos that is bedtime with a toddler!
What resources were most helpful to you during your breastfeeding journey? Here’s where having a female partner who has birthed and breastfed a baby really comes in handy. She was the most helpful and supportive. I watched her and our daughter really struggle to make 
breastfeeding work for them (but once they got it, it was game on), and I felt quite helpless through that experience, it was really nice that she could give first-hand suggestions and support. Honestly though, I haven’t had any troubles. He latched while we were laying in bed before I even delivered my placenta (yes, I had a home birth) and has been going strong ever since. I have had mastitis three times – the first time was really bad, he was less than two weeks old, and I didn’t really know what was going on (fever, body aches), but my partner knew right away so I was able to call my midwife and get a prescription asap. The second time I felt it coming and got a prescription called in. The third time I went the natural route and stuck a cabbage leaf in my bra, which totally worked by the way.
I would say the emotional support from my family and friends has been wonderful too. They’ve all cheered me on. My boss is great too. I breastfed my baby in her office during a meeting when he was only a month old. There’s a nice room at work to pump. The support of my boss and work cannot be underestimated. I believe there’s a reason why the average length of breastfeeding in the US is three months (same length of time as FMLA) while worldwide it is four years. I feel very fortunate to have a community, both personally and professionally, that encourages me to breastfeed.
What’s the most amazing thing you’ve learned about breastmilk? I mean, what can’t it do?! As for the most amazing, I think I have to say breastmilk’s ability to soothe my son no matter what. I know it’s not just the milk, but it is a super handy thing to have readily available when he’s trying to fall asleep, his sister accidentally body slams him (“I’m so sorry about that little brother”), or he gets a shot.
How was the transition to solids for you–did it change how you nursed? He is a monster eater, both of breastmilk and solids. When my son started solids, at almost six months, he really did it up. He’s a pretty voracious eater and how he nursed didn’t change much until he was taking two consistent, predictable naps, which for him was around 6 1/2 months. Then we got into a real rhythm of nursing in the morning, before each nap and again before bedtime, this is still the rhythm we’re in now actually. I would say he occasionally wants to nurse at different times some days, and depending on my schedule that’s ok. The most likely additional feeding he’ll try to sneak in is when I get home from work after a “long” day, but I think both of us really enjoy that opportunity. He definitely didn’t nurse much less, or get less milk as far as I could tell, when he started solids.
If you could tell your newly postpartum self one thing about breastfeeding, what would it be? That I would simply love it. It has been easy for us and completely enjoyable. I love our quiet moments together. I love the complete awe I was in the first few months of the fact that I was nourishing this little baby from my own body, just as I had while pregnant. I love the look other mother’s give you (or you give to others) when you’re breastfeeding in public – it’s this silent “you got this mama and rock on for doing it where you need to” look of understanding and respect. I love that I’ve been able to teach my three year old daughter about “Mommy milk” and that she feeds her baby dolls her own mommy milk when they’re hungry. I love that my partner has called our son “the dangle” since day one because he could be in hurricane-force winds and still be latched on, just dangling and drinking. I love it all. I remember thinking in my final days of pregnancy that I was really going to miss the actual physicality of being pregnant, which I did. I think I’m going to miss the same thing about breastfeeding when it comes to a stop, but as it was once pregnancy was over, I think I’ll be so busy with and excited for the next phase that I won’t have much time for the missing. But I will always remember loving it.
