Breastfeed my son… for a year, minimum!

Even before my son was born, I knew that breastfeeding was going to be my modus operandi for feeding him.

I refused to read any books until I’d tried things my way, and quickly opted out of asking other mothers for information as well after my excited “can’t wait to breastfeed” post on one favorite forum escalated into a “breastfeeding is the most painful, horrible experience” rant by a number of burned out stay-at-home mothers who claimed they just wanted to bring me back down to earth.

Winging it was the best possible choice for me. I trusted my intuition and followed Diva Baby’s cues. He latched moments after birth and my milk came in, flowing freely and un-stoppably, two days later. The engorgement horrified me for one night – I thought my breasts would explode. But my Midwives calmed my anxiety and the next day everything settled in and down again.

In the ten days following his birth when I was recovering from my stitches, I was forced to stand and lean against walls most of the time. That was the only time breastfeeding has been unbearably painful – and it wasn’t my breasts that ached!

Two weeks postpartum, I purchased a Medela Pump from my friend Donna’s store and began pumping between nursing sessions. When I went back to work at the Agency at just three weeks postpartum, I pumped during the day and bottle-fed Diva Baby fresh milk. We nursed at night. It took him less than a day to figure out our new routine and he has stuck by it ever since – sometimes when I’d even prefer otherwise! I discovered The Leaky B@@b on Facebook and joined in conversations with other working mothers.

I joined a local La Leche League but quickly realised it wasn’t for me. It wasn’t that the facilitator wasn’t a lovely woman (she is) or the other moms very sweet (they were) but that I found myself absorbing like the emotional sponge I am… absorbing the frustrations of mother who were experiencing difficulties I just wasn’t. One single mother is forced to work from home and take a huge pay cut because her now-one-year-old daughter refuses to take a bottle. Another mother was bewildered about diapering, carrying infants, holding infants, looking at infants… everything – and her confusion confused me, too.

I also found myself beginning to feel guilty that I was pumping and bottle-feeding Diva Baby during the day after several mothers grilled me on whether that was formula in the bottle, or…

Before Diva Baby was born, I had no idea that the topic of what women feed their babies (and, apparently, how they feed it) was such a battleground in modern society. I bowed out quietly and haven’t returned.

Diva Baby and I are happy. We a truly happy unit functioning with fluidity and ease. I affirm daily (verbally and in my thoughts) my steady and healthful milk supply. I eat a balanced organic vegetarian diet (not currently raw vegan) with an emphasis on fresh fruits, gluten-free grains and beans, green smoothies and fresh greens, soaked almonds, fermented foods and coconut kefir. I avoid gluten foods and avoid processed foods, even ones mislabeled “healthy” by the marketers. I supplement with Garden of Life products, including the vegan Prenatal, raw Vitamin D and raw Iron always taken with a glass of Camu Camu powder (vitamin C for absorption).

In the four months since his birth, Diva Baby has been sick once, with mild symptoms and no fever – for less than two days. I gave him Probiotics and Ecinachea Goldenseal and continued to nurse and pump. His pediatrician, a holistic MD, declared him one of the healthiest infants he had ever met. I agree.

Here’s to eight more months, minimum, of breast milk for Diva Baby!