Mom is NEVER enough
Mothering isn’t something that’s done on the margins of society, our choices some subversive act worthy of ridicule.
Tag Archives: breastfeeding
Newborns: the magic, the misery
Now that Quinn is well into toddlerhood, and the burgeoning bump of my second baby sometimes edges into my field of vision, I have both the emotional distance and the sense of urgency needed to look back critically on the newborn period. My memories are often sepia-toned, infused with the magic that tiny little being brought into our lives.
But the picture isn’t always pretty. I didn’t realize it at the time (or at least I didn’t acknowledge it to anyone, […]
The long goodbye
I always figured that I would let Quinn decide when it was time to stop nursing. Then I got pregnant again when she was 14 months old, and while I know plenty of mamas nurse two babies at once, I am pretty firmly decided against it. I just foresee that Quinn will want to nurse as much as the new baby, and I know I will not have the energy for two hungry little mouths at once.
I’ve slowly realized that […]
The watermelon and the pea
When I first started nursing Quinn, it became evident very quickly that she liked one of my breasts a lot better than the other one. It took me a few days to notice, because there were so many other weird breastfeeding things going on, but I remember remarking to my husband during that first crazy sleep-deprived week that she hated my left breast.
“It’s like she’s scared of it or something,” I said. I remember her tiny little overflowing mouth and […]
The hardest job you’ll ever love
I never thought breastfeeding would be so difficult for me. I also never dreamed it could be so rewarding.
My mom nursed my sister and me well into our toddlerhoods effortlessly and I always thought I would do the same. My main reason for wanting a natural birth was so my baby and I could get off to a good nursing start. I read all the books, got all the gear, and braced myself for sore nipples and some awkward first […]