World Breastfeeding Week 2016

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!  Today marks 945 days that I have been breastfeeding.  Needless to say, there isn't much I haven't experienced.  Low supply, clogged ducts, mastitis, sore nipples, nipple trauma, tongue tie, nursing strikes, growth spurts, pumping, nursing and returning to work, nursing a toddler, nursing in public, nursing during pregnancy, tandem nursing a toddler and an infant, oversupply, overactive letdown, engorgement, etc., etc., etc.  You can read about my early breastfeeding days and the obstacles Eden and I overcame here and here.  As you can imagine, there have been many ups and downs, good days and bad days, rewards and sacrifices…but I wouldn't change a thing.  And I'm so very thankful for breastfeeding and what it has done for me.

When I first went to the amazing International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) who grew to be like family and played a vital role in saving me and Eden's breastfeeding relationship, she told me to take lots of pictures of me nursing Eden.  I thought that was strange and didn't really take her advice to heart.  Over two years later and I see what she meant.  And I wish I had more pictures of me nursing Eden when she was an infant.  I take pictures of her nursing now any time I can because you never know when it'll be her last time.  I don't think she's anywhere close to weaning (and I plan to let her wean herself when she's ready) but you just never know.  I don't have many pictures of me nursing both girls because 1. I try not to nurse them both at the same time any more than I absolutely have to and 2. It's really impossible to take a selfie of all three of us (until Jeff gets me a selfie stick like he says he will).  Here are a few pictures I've taken recently.