Maybe next year I'll post on time, right?
Happily for me, August is also Breastfeeding Awareness Month - so I decided to go ahead and share a few of my breastfeeding-related stories before the month is up. You can hop over to Mama Pure to read my Tips for Tandem Nursing, too!
Today, I thought it would be fun to tell you some of my favorite things about breastfeeding! Here they are - in no particular order.
5 Things I Love About Breastfeeding!
1. It's pure magic when it comes to getting babies to sleep. Sure, I was advised many times to not let my baby fall asleep at the breast because she'll become dependent on it. Well, speaking now as a mom whose kid is dependent on nursing to sleep...it's not such a bad thing. Trying to get her down for a nap or nighttime without nursing means hours of screaming and hysteria. Pop her on to nurse and she's calm in two minutes. I'll take the latter option, thanks.
2. It's so much easier than any other method of feeding baby. When I was pumping for Lincoln (I worked part time when he was a baby), I hated dealing with the zillion pieces of my pump and the bottles. I can barely keep track of what day it is. Making sure enough milk was readily available was sometimes a nightmare. I've never used formula, but I am certain I would have left my house more than once without all the necessary tools to feed baby. This week, I've forgotten to put shoes on my kids three times when we've left the house. Mom brain is serious.
3. It gives me time to cuddle with my very busy toddlers. Tiny little babies are usually pretty snuggly. Toddlers usually are not. At least, they're not in my case. Addie enjoys a good snuggle more than Lincoln, but a nursing break guarantees a few minutes of close contact where we can regroup and just be with each other during a busy day.
4. It's an effective birth control method. Really. Obviously, you can't trust it forever (and don't blame me if you read this and find yourself pregnant because you thought I told you it was okay). But I didn't get my fertility back until Addie was 14 months old. That's over a year of period-free life. If that doesn't convince you to give breastfeeding a try, I don't know what will do the trick.
5. It helps mom lose baby weight (and more). This one is not true for everyone, but for me it's been ahhhh-ma-zing. I currently weigh twenty pounds less than I did when I found out Lincoln was on the way. I halfheartedly attended a weekly workout class for a few weeks when he was a baby. Sometimes we go for family walks in the evening. Aside from that, I have literally not done any structured exercise AT ALL in four years. Part of this may be due to my better eating habits and the fact that I'm constantly chasing toddlers around - but how cool is it to be able to say "oh, I'm burning calories right now" while I'm writing this blog post? Making breast milk=automatic extra calories gone.
I think I could write at least another fifty reasons why I love breastfeeding, but those are some of my favorites! Did you (or do you currently) breastfeed your kids? What's your favorite benefit from your nursing relationship?
Note: Mamas who have chosen or have had the choice made for you to use formula or otherwise feed your child, please know that I love you too. I'm blessed to have been able to breastfeed both kids in spite of a difficult start, and I know that I had it easier than a lot of you! I'm not judging. Honest.
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