That's what today makes........
14 Months of nursing my little angel. It really feels like forever, and since I never thought I'd make it this long, I'm both proud and tired. First I'll go through all the reasons that I'm tired...
One word...teeth! The natural born enemy of lactating moms everywhere! I remember when she grew the first of the now notorious 5. Ah... I was so proud, I think I posted it everywhere I could on the internet, called friends and family, even told the occasional stranger that would stop and chat with me about the baby. I mean, I was elated...cloud 9. Now the 5 flash their white hot furry at me from within the smile of my adorable little toddler as she proudly shows them off. She sure does love to smile, and while I know with full certainty that he smile is her outwardly expression of her inner joy, I can't help but to think that sometimes.....just sometimes...she flashes those pearly whites, knowing just what she intends to do with them at our next nursing session......can babies smell fear??? I know it may sound silly to some, but if you have ever experienced the great "joy" of having your "girls" trapped in the tiny sharp teeth of a toddler, all the while they laughed and smiled as you beg for mercy, then surly you know what I'm talking about!.My Husband thinks this is all funny, and jokes the one day she is going to bite me straight through........ can you hear the crickets?......
Another reason why I am tired....I think with the strains of my work, I have let my diet suffer, and that is draining me. The first rule of nursing....."Eat healthy meals". I'm not talking lettuce and bird food here.....I mean foods rich in vitamins and calcium. Any boob-wise mama can tell you that no matter what you eat, your body will make your milk nutritionally "complete" with a few exceptions.....and eating well is more for you than anything else. Well ladies and gents.....I've bombed that one with flying colors. I can tell I am in dire need of calcium, and I quit taking my pregnancy vitamins early this year. I've always received complements on having a very bright and nice smile....but I think one of the chomppers is a lost cause. Bye-bye little tooth...rest in piece. I will be in GNC tomorrow to buy more prenatal vites! Live and lean...then forget..and learn again I guess....
On demand nursing.....I'll tell you....That's been both a blessing and a curse. It blesses me with gallons and gallons of milk during these 14 months. It's blessed me to within 8lbs of my pre-baby weight. It's comforted my little baby by pulling double duty as a pacifier. It's blessed my relationship with my daughter in that both she and I know that milk will be there whenever she is hungry, not just whenever the clock tells her she should eat. (personal opinion alert!!!!)....I feel people should not treat their babies like trained puppies. They are allowed to be hungry at whatever time their tiny little bellies growl. I would never deny my baby a drink of milk just because it's not "time" to nurse.....to me thats crazy, and if you disagree....then I'd like you to tell that to your belly. I don't know any grown adult that eats at a designated time on the dot, everyday..... Now I digress...above are all the things that NOD has done for me. Now the stinker........ My sweet, sweet baby girl, fights me for the "girls" in public...... :-( We all know that I have gotten over the whole "Nursing in public" thing ages ago, but it's quite another animal when you're in line at a fabric store and your daughter goes into your shirt with her tiny little hand to retrieve her milk herself! Of course being the lucky lady that I am, I just so happen to be wearing a halter top....enough said... I can never go back to that store again.....
So as I write this, I'm thinking to myself ....geezz....with all that..what exactly am I proud of?? Well for starters...I still can't believe that I made it past a year with no formula needed. I had two back up cans of milk that Similac sent to me as a sample, I ended up giving that away. I can proudly say for sure that my baby is and was all breastfed! This breastfeeding thing has went so much better than the two time I journeyed before. The money I saved has been phenomenal, and to kick it up a notch...My little girl is the picture of health. No midnight runs to the doctor here. (Thank you lord for blessing her so much.). I am hoping to keep on nursing right up until her 2nd birthday now, but if I can make it to 18 months..I'll call it a victory. ^_^
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