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Today was the first day I ever breast fed a baby.
- Jan 12, 2010 at 12:51 PM
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- Comments (39) Total Views (1973) Everyone can see this journal post.
Today is my son's sixth birthday. As I was reminiscing about his birth, it occurred to me that another major event happened that day too--the first time I ever nursed an infant.
I never questioned that I would breast feed him. In fact, I don't remember thinking about it very much at all. And when it came time to do it, I was a little doofish. Kris was born by emergency c-section very early in the morning and it took them almost an hour to sew me back up, and when I first held him some time had gone by. Unlike my third delivery, wherein they placed a brand new, vaginally birthed baby on my bare chest and I nursed her right away, the immediacy of putting my new baby to the breast wasn't foremost in my mind when Kris was born.
Here is how it happened: Kris and I kind of fussed together a little, trying to get it right, until an old brusque nurse came to my bed and reached out and popped! my nipple right into his mouth. And there it was, I was breast feeding. Thank you, old brusque nurse.
I soon learned that breast feeding was exhausting and it consumed me like nothing else, because *I* was the only one who could do it. It's what being a mother was really all about. My new baby depended on me as no other creature in my life ever had. Like many other new mothers, I had to emotionally grow to fill that role. I am the kind of person who does everything the hardest way possible, and this new, awesome responsibility really tested me. Through the mistakes I made with my first child though, I learned so much to make things easier with my next two babies. The first baby kind of takes the brunt of the learning process, and there's no process quite like learning how to breast feed in the beginning.
So I kind of took it for granted, how easy it was for me--even though if you had asked me at the time, when I was weeping with delirious sleep deprivation at 3 AM, I would have not seen it that way. However, I was successful. After being on Cafemom, I have a far greater appreciation for how fortunate I was to be successful when other mothers have struggled. My only regret is that I stopped breast feeding Kris way too soon. Again, it was a learning process.
If someone asks me about being a mother--what have I learned, what has been most rewarding, what has been the most difficult--breast feeding is at the top of the list for all of it. When my little boy was born, I did not understand the significance of what I was about to do. And yes, there were many times I wanted to stop and give up and let someone else feed him. But I was committed to it, just as I couldn't simply cease being a mother.
I recommend it to anyone. Well--anyone with boobs.
Comments:
That's wonderful! I remember looking back at one of Cole's birthdays and remembering that it was the first time I had nursed a baby, too. It's an AMAZING journey!
You are an AWESOME momma, Joye!
I wish I had breast fed my babies longer... I loved the bonding time and the motherly feeling it gave me. I felt awkward at first but eventually it came with ease and yes the first baby takes the brunt of learning, in all respects!
I will also add that middle of the night feedings with a breast is far easier than warming up a formula bottle!
I am being re-immersed in the world of babies as I am about to become a grandma!! =D and am determined to help my (bonus) daughter be successful with her nursing (which is also what she wants, having watched me do it with her sisters) I just gifted a bunch of nursing supplies [including *insider* tips lol I wish I had had] at her baby shower...
I miss the breastfeeding thing too... I never knew we were stopping.. it just happened one day (I got sick and had to go on bf unfriendly meds) and so we stopped with no *one last time* (she was 18+mo)...
GREAT memory journal Joye...thanks
I love this. Thank you, old brusque nurse. :)
Joye, this is terrific. Reminds me of my learning experience with my first son, and my second. This third time has been so "easy". Almost makes me want another kid; ALMOST!
Breastfeeding is one of the things I miss the most about having an infant. It is a beautiful bonding experience that I know will stay with me for a lifetime. This was wonderful, Joye.
And happy birthday to your little man!
How sweet, made me weepy <3
Happy Birthday Kris :)
Yay for old brusque nurses. :-)
There are things in life we shouldn't pussyfoot around with... this is one of them. Quit yer fussing and shove it in there. :-) It is rough, it is draining, it is consuming... and it is motherhood. Nothing about the process is easy. Sorry. It is still the best thing on earth for your little one. As a mom, it is your job to overcome that which is hard in order to provide not for yourself, but for the little bundle of Joye which you have brought into the world.
Happy Birthing day Mom... and to your little dude as well.
That is beautiful, Joye :)
Happy Birthday, Mr. Kris!
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Aww, hear hear. It's amazing how much you learn with that first child. Breastfeeding Rowan, and having a newborn, was so difficult and I felt like I barely survived the first two months, that went by in a hazy blur of exhaustion, crying (both of ours), sore boobs and lack of confidence that ANYTHING was working right, even bottles of formula.
I found the internet, found other nursing moms (and other GERD moms) and suddenly learned what I was doing right, and what I wasn't. I'm so grateful that I had other moms to lean on, because as natural as breastfeeding is, if it's completely foreign to you and the people around you, it does NOT come naturally!
My experience with Aurora, of course, is completely different. I tried her on one breast, she fidgeted, flipped her over, and we were off without a hitch. We both got sleep, I knew she was fed and fine, and I wasn't stressed about her being a newborn. :)
Happy birthday Kristopher, your mommy loves you, even if you did (and continue to) take the brunt of her learning! :)
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