Powered by breastmilk

Powered by breastmilk breastfeedingKiwi is powered by breastmilk.

She rolls, she giggles, she kicks, she chews on anything she can get her gummy mouth on.

She has dimpled cheeks and rolls on her thighs.

She watches her sister play, stares out the car window on drives, listens to books and turns toward any sound to figure out precisely what made that noise.

Up until last week, when Kiwi tried her first food, all that growth, activity, curiosity and learning was 100% fueled by breastmilk—magical, powerful, nourishing breastmilk.

Grateful to breastfeed

Not every mother can or chooses to breastfeed, and I give high fives to all the mamas out there who make it work feeding their kiddo in whatever way is best for the family. With all the messaging around “Breast is best,” I say “Fed is best.”

Still, I am unspeakably grateful to breastfeed Kiwi.

Breastfeeding Peeper was hard. Like sob in the shower hard. And with Kiwi, we went through our share of challenges.

The pain and damage I suffered in the first days after Kiwi’s birth made me suspect she had tongue tie like her older sister. A lactation consultant called in a favor and got us to see Dr. Ghaheri, an international expert in tongue tie correction who just happens to practice in Portland, even though he was booked up. And Kiwi’s substantial tongue tie was corrected when she was just eight days old.

It still took us a while to get the hang of breastfeeding. There were nights I wanted to simply give up.

But I didn’t. And neither did she.

And here we are, still breastfeeding, and I love it.

I can’t believe that every milestone she hits, every new skill she masters, every ounce she gains is powered by food my body creates especially for her. 

Even as she continues to try new solids, she’ll return to nursing. She gets more than calories from my milk; breastfeeding is its own relationship. Snuggled close with her hand on my chest, she is safe. She is happy. She is mine.

9 thoughts on “Powered by breastmilk

  • January 14, 2016 at 11:12 am
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    Beautiful picture! Breastfeeding is never really as easy as I hoped, but it definitely has been worth every trouble. Good job, mama!

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    • January 14, 2016 at 11:38 am
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      Thank you! Breastfeeding was harder than I thought with #1 AND #2, but I’m so glad we persevered.

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      • January 14, 2016 at 11:50 am
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        I gave up after about 9 weeks with #1, he was a preemie so that definitely didn’t make it any better. With #2 it was just hard the first month or so, now it’s definitely a lot easier!

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    • January 14, 2016 at 1:54 pm
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      Hugs as you soak in those last special moments! And hugs when you’re done and move on to a new chapter in your (or at least your boobs’) life!

      Reply
  • January 14, 2016 at 12:49 pm
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    It is so great for their immune system. I was fortunate and breastfed both of mine until about 8-9 months old. I was a stay at home mom, and it worked for us all at the time. ☺

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    • January 14, 2016 at 1:55 pm
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      You make such a good point! I work from home and so can feed on demand even while I work. I am so impressed by moms who work out of the home, pump throughout the day and still breastfeed. *in awe*

      Reply
  • January 14, 2016 at 5:45 pm
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    Good for you! I agree fed is best, but that is sometimes a hard lesson to learn. My daughter (my oldest child) was a born nurser and I didn’t have any problems with her. My son, on the other hand, was difficult. I think the fact that I had such an easy time with my daughter made things harder with my son because I didn’t think I should need help. Anyway, we struggled through it for 6 months before I switched over to formula. I’m glad I lasted that long, but I wish I would have been able to continue as long as he wanted.

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  • January 14, 2016 at 7:19 pm
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    So happy you’re sticking with breastfeeding. It’s the only way to go. I didn’t when I was a kid, and I think it made me . . . a little “off”. Not that there’s evidence of that . . . much.

    Reply

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