Breastfeeding Friday Begins!

My Polar Bear, Phoebe at 6 weeks gestation

Way back when, when I was a mother of just one beautiful lady and unaware that #2 was on her way, I started a blog. I got really into that blog and thought I was hot stuff for about a month. Then, I saw two pink lines to tell me #2 was on her way, and with those two pink lines came morning sickness, exhaustion, and all of the other first trimester fun that kept me away from that blog that I was so pumped up about.

One of my visions for that blog was to be a source of unofficial, but useful information for breastfeeding. I wanted it to be quirky (because, hi, I'm quirky) and fun, but informative. I want to take a minute to focus on the word "unofficial". In this case I want it to be synonymous with unlicensed and un-certified. Its not that lack confidence in my words that I do believe contain wisdom, but I just want to explicitly say that I am not a doctor, a nurse, a lactation consultant, or counselor. I do not have any legal certifying bodies that back up what I am saying, I have not (yet!) received a formal education or training on this particular topic. I am slightly, but only just so, ashamed to admit that I never really took much of a breastfeeding class.

So what credentials do I have? Well, I am the Momma of two lovely ladies, I nursed one until she weaned at 3.5 years old and the other (2 years old) is currently going strong. I like to brag, or complain depending on the day, that I have been pregnant and/or nursing since December of 2010. Yes, you read that right. There was a time when I was pregnant and nursing, about 41 weeks and 1 day of those shenanigans and then about a year and a half of nursing two little ravenous beasts darlings.

Over the past few years I have been blessed with a smorgasbord of issues. Yes, I see them as blessings because I was able to overcome them and continue to nurse my children and they imbibed me with knowledge, tricks, wisdom to pass on to other nursing mommas.

I had thrush, right out the gate (diagnosed in Labor & Delivery recovery). Supply issues that had me question my value as mother. Post-partum anxiety, because if there is a new way for me to get anxiety its going to happen! I had a bleb once, what's a bleb? My spellcheck doesn't even know what that word is! I had mastitis, latch issues, surgery, and, then, what I call the Peppermint Incident of 2011.

My goal (and fervent prayer) is that the things I experienced and the solutions I implemented through the undying support of so many beautiful women is passed on to any Momma who reads this with questions.

So, back to 2012 when I had that blog. I made this list and going over it three years later I still agree with it.

Over the next few weeks I plan on embellishing on these points. My goal is to have a "Breastfeeding Friday" regular post among my other semi-regular posts. I hope to give you my personal experience with other anecdotes I have heard as well as other harder and more concrete evidence to back up the stuff that I say... er, type. 

So, this was week one. And I will link the other ones probably right here to this post.If you have questions or concerns about what I write leave a comment or email me at fruitfuljoydoula@gmail.com - I look forward to all feedback, positive more-so than negative, but hey, lemonade and all that.

Week Two: Opening the Door

Joyfully, Jess.

Resources:

My most trusted BFing website