By Badass Sandra
Like so many, I began my breast-feeding journey unsure of what I could do. Unable to fathom exactly what my body was capable of. I had been unsuccessful with my previous children due to the classic “I didn’t make enough milk” myth, lack of support and just overall ignorance on the subject. I was determined to be successful on my third attempt.
September 2014 I began my first successful breast-feeding journey. It was really hard in the beginning. I was told to ‘just give him a bottle’ and ‘formula is fine!’ And ‘you just can’t nurse all the time like that’. I almost gave in to the formula. I felt like I was quitting. I gave myself small goals, six weeks then three months and then six months. I found breast-feeding support groups on Facebook, like yours, and I found like-minded moms who are going through similar journeys. Some of us were thousands of miles away from each other but we still talked each other through the sleepless nights and the clogged ducts. Before I knew it, I had made it to my six month goal and at that point there was no turning back! I was determined to let him nurse until he was ready to wean.
And in September 2017 I was pregnant again. (This is how the tandem award comes into play). I successfully nursed through my entire pregnancy and was able to tandem nurse both boys for about 7 months before my eldest was ready on his own (probably cause he was over having to share it). Once my last baby was here he was a latching champion! I was already so comfortable with the process that anything we ran into didn’t cause me any doubts, I had read so many other mom‘s stories and I’d done so much research, I had read so many books.. then I got mastitis. This was a result of my body trying to figure out how much milk it actually needed to make, being that it was now nourishing a toddler AND an infant. Somehow I made it through that (OUCH). And today my 4 1/2-year-old is nearly done nursing. He still comfort nurses at bedtime and I’m pretty sure I don’t have any more milk.. but when he’s all done he’ll let me know. I honestly feel like I couldn’t have done it without pages like yours. The knowledge and support I gained from the community you foster was invaluable on my journey and imperative to my success. I am so grateful for it. I just wanted to share, because, to be honest, I feel like a pretty badass breastfeeder myself!
My SO is incredibly awesome, he made the trophy and ribbon by hand and with such love. He was always my biggest supporter and I believe he was a crucial part of my success. My older two kids have a different father and he was anything but supportive. He was the ‘kids only need milk for a few weeks- go nurse in a closet- stop flashing your boobs’ kind of guy.
My Best, Sandra
