Breastfeeding

It's a funny thing, breastfeeding. It's the best thing we can do for our children, if we are able, and yet, it is something that very few women are familiar with before they have children of their own. Before I had Sam, I had very occasionally seen a friend or family member breastfeed their child. I had seen a few women in Africa comfortably breastfeeding their children in public. But other than that, I had had little exposure to this very natural part of life. I had always assumed that because it's something our bodies are designed to do, that it wouldn't really be that difficult.

Man was I wrong. Learning to breastfeed has to be one of the biggest hurdles I have ever encountered. And this is coming from someone who went through intensive challenging training in school, exercises and partakes in several fairly risky sports, AND delivered her child without medication. From trying to figure out how to hold a flailing, squirmy, often frantic baby to dealing with painful, bruised, cracked, white nipples (I was diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome in my nipples) it felt like an uphill battle. Thankfully, I had the support from family and friends (especially my husband Tim!) and I was able to persevere. Now I have a healthy, glowing six month old baby, and he's been brought up solely on breastmilk.

I have wondered a lot along the way why there isn't a better support system for nursing moms, why we don't support each other as much as we should, why we don't use the resources available to us as much as we should. There are a lot of resources out there, like La Leche League and the local health unit.

A good friend of mine has a four week old son, and she is currently going through a lot of the same struggles I experienced. I am thankful that I am able to share my experiences and be a listening ear if nothing else. But it's made me realize how essential it is for moms to be resources not only for other moms, but other potential moms - sisters, daughters, friends, strangers even. With so many women out there that have breastfed their children over the years, it truly is strange that most of us have no idea how to do it. I think the biggest thing I've learned is that I can be a resource. And I hope that the women around me will feel comfortable using me as one.