today, i am exceptionally thankful that i have been able to breastfeed. i absolutely know that not everyone can (or chooses) to nurse her baby. it's a super personal, individual decision (and sometimes it's not a decision you even get to make), and i respect and support each woman's journey with those early, crazy days and weeks. for me, it was something i really wanted to be able to do. my mom breastfed me, and i made the commitment when i was pregnant to do it for a year if at all possible. it was not always easy. after going back to work when she was twelve weeks old, i pumped three or four times a day at work, while still nursing her at least three times in the hours i was at home. that was not fun. while i am grateful that the technology exists now that enabled me to continue to give breastmilk to my baby even though i'm a working mom, pumping is very mechanical and time consuming and sometimes downright inconvenient. not only do you have to get bottles, laundry, etc. ready for the baby each day on top of your own work supplies, lunch, etc., you also have to think about having enough clean bottles at the ready, how/where you're going to store the milk, when you're going to be able to pump (negotiating around meetings and trying to be a little bit discrete), if the clothes you're wearing will accommodate the pump phlange things, and myriad other details. it's not the biggest deal ever, of course, it's just one more chunk of responsibility in an already-crazy time, especially when it's your first time.
anyway...as time went on and she grew, i was able to decrease the pumping demands until, by the last week of october, i was only pumping once a day. finally, october 29th was the last day i pumped. i still haven't weaned her, but i am loving this arrangement of cow's milk during the day and being able to nurse in the morning and at night. i'm sure i'll eventually get around to weaning, but it just doesn't seem like the right time quite yet. i'm amazed that human bodies can produce a life-sustaining substance, and i am awed and humbled that i was able to experience it. i'm also thankful that, through the whole journey, i produced a whole lotta extra milk and was able to donate a bunch of ounces (i think close to 400 - whoa) to the mothers' milk bank here in austin. just a quick little plug - if you express milk for your babies and have extra, there is SUCH a need for human milk for the teeny tiny preemies and for other babies who have issues and whose mothers can't meet their demands. i know austin has a bank for this purpose, but lots of other cities probably do, too. the women who run that non-profit were incredibly gracious and thankful, and did an amazing job of reminding me how much they appreciated my donation. i am so thankful i got to give back just a little bit from an experience that i have gotten so much joy from...
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