“Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (December). For this month, we want to honor breastfeeding for having enriched our lives and blessed us, maybe even empowered us, in a way that only breastfeeding can. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants.”

Being able to sustain breastfeeding for almost sixteen months is the greatest gift I have ever received and given. I credit my success to the Lord Almighty, my newfound devotion to Our Lady of La Leche, my family and friends who supported me from day one up until now. And with the looks of it, both my daughter and I are not ready to stop anytime soon. Not just yet.

Along with the gift of breastfeeding, I have also received other “gifts” that naturally came with it, which I now have realized. Allow me to share some with you:

1. The Gift of Commitment

I chose to breastfeed. And I prepared myself for it. I did my homework — research, attend La Leche League meets, talk with moms who had similar experience or at least can share some of their knowledge. Commitment is also a choice. I know I was willing to commit to be with my daughter especially in the first few months, when no one else at home knew what breastfeeding was all about. The same commitment I have used even when I have to work. Thankfully, I can work part-time so I pump occasionally. Never had and never will result to formula.

2. The Gift of Confidence

I and my daughter are notorious public breastfeeders. I stopped using breastfeeding stations after a snooty nurse from the mall clinic didn’t allow me to get in because I had a stroller. So we nurse anytime, anywhere. I am confident to breastfeed in public also because I’ve learned the tricks of it (though at times it’s a challenge with my cute squirmy daughter!). So far, no nasty or malicious looks, no guards preventing us to do so, thankfully. My husband is ready to protect me and fight for me if anyone does so.

3. The Gift of Communication

Breastfeeding is my advocacy. God allowed me to use social media, such as this blog, joining blog carnivals, posting tweets, status messages, to encourage more moms and families to breastfeed. Though I didn’t push through with my LATCH training as lactation counselor, God still allowed me to sort of act like one by visiting a new mom in a nearby hospital and giving tips to her new breastfeeding experience. Likewise, my husband supports and promotes breastfeeding through his blog and joining blog carnivals — so far he’s joined two Milk Mama Diaries carnivals and he doesn’t mind if he’s the only dad who joins! I’m one proud wife and mom here!

4. The Gift of Camaraderie

Breastfeeding gave me even more new friends! The La Leche League meets, Babywearing meets (another advocacy as well), blog carnival, tweeting, fb-ing, the devotion to Our Lady of La Leche, opened doors and windows to more like-minded moms. Camaraderie even if some of them I haven’t met in person, but the empowerment, inspiration, and prayers they’ve given is more than enough.

On top of all these, what’s the best gift?

Courage.

Not to confuse it with confidence, Merriam-Webster defines courage as a mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Let me share a passage from this web article: http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Courage-the-Same-As-Self-Confidence?&id=4216525

“Most of our choices require confidence and courage. It takes a lot of courage to choose to speak up and to let someone know how you feel, especially if that person has authority over you. It takes confidence, on the other hand, to try new things. It takes confidence and courage to put yourself first.”

I conquered breastfeeding problems in the early days like sore nipples, almost no sleep because baby feeds sometimes every 30 minutes, oversupply, reflux. I didn’t follow our pediatrician’s and other people’s recommendation to give formula because they say I have a small baby. I know they may mean well, but I didn’t give up on breastfeeding, simply because I want to tell them that breastfeeding is normal. I resist, but I persist.

It will surely take some more time to make people realize that the female breasts really are meant for feeding the baby. It’s the “breast” gift we can give to our children.

And before I forget, Merry Christmas from our breastfeeding family!

~ Touringkitty

Do take the time to check out all the posts in this month’s carnival:
Shaps http://bouncingbear.wordpress.com/2011/12/13/beyond-being-thin/
Gretchen http://www.eleora113.com/2011/12/12-useful-breastfeeding-gifts-for.html#!/2011/12/12-useful-breastfeeding-gifts-for.html
Carol http://thelazymama.net/2011/12/13/the-gift-of-miracle/
Jenny O. http://www.chroniclesofanursingmom.com/2011/12/gifts-of-breastfeeding.html
Anne http://diapersandstethoscope.blogspot.com/2011/12/gift-of-breastfeeding.html
Nats http://mymommykuwentos.blogspot.com/2011/12/we-wish-you-merry-nursing.html
Jenny R. http://mymommyology.com/2011/12/12/if-the-magi-were-queens/
Em http://www.touringkitty.com/2011/12/13/the-breast-gift/
Isis http://thenewadventuresofanoldmommy.blogspot.com/2011/12/got-milk.html
Armi http://thenewadventuresofanoldmommy.blogspot.com/2011/12/got-milk.html
Liv http://tinkerputt.lcoreph.com/2011/12/my-breastfeeding-journey.html
Laya http://www.mommyluscious.com/2011/12/time-in-a-drop-of-milk.html
Mec http://www.mecasmom.com/2011/12/gift-of-changed-man.html

“Welcome to the Milk Mama Diaries Carnival (July). For this month, we join the National Nutrition Council – Department of Health in celebrating Nutrition Month with the theme “Isulong ang Breastfeeding – Tama, Sapat at EKsklusibo!” Participants will share their experiences in promoting breastfeeding or their tips on how breastfeeding should be promoted. Please scroll down to the end of this post and check out the other carnival participants.”

I live in the formula generation. I can’t recall an instance when my family talked about breastfeeding. It was all bottles, different brands of powdered milk, and sterilizers. None of my cousins (on my mom’s side) were breastfed.

I remember my mom told me that I was part of a formula brand testing and got a year’s supply of formula! The reason why I wasn’t breastfed is that my mom had a lump in one of her breasts that needed to be removed. I was breastfed for about a month. My younger sister, nada. Poor one didn’t even get to taste colostrum.

Not that I regret that I wasn’t breastfed. I grew up well and so did my sister and my cousins. But if I had a choice, I would have wanted to be breastfed.

So for our first daughter, I chose breastfeeding. I have been breastfeeding her for the past eleven months (and counting!). And I’m blessed to have a supportive family. Of course, it meant bringing the baby almost everywhere, choosing to work part-time and watching what I eat as if I’m still pregnant.

And now, this formula-fed mom is encouraging others to breastfeed. How?

1. Share information. Sometimes I do this by posting on my Facebook or Twitter, and friends would send me questions. I’m happy to share what I know and experienced because, really, experience is the best teacher. I just tend to overdo it sometimes, hence the very long replies!

I wonder, though, why some of my friends tell me I’m lucky I still breastfeed, when they didn’t even try for more than a month, saying they had a hard time or they didn’t have milk. They had all the opportunity and time, after all. They could have saved lots of money.

2. Live by example: nurse in public. At times, however, I tend to forget that I’m not in the comfort of my own home and just offer my breast to my daughter, covered or not covered, especially when she starts to be restless. My nursing cover is actually useless now because she just plays with it and removes it anyway.

What I do is wear something accessible for breastfeeding. Often a tube underneath a loose pull-up blouse is fine. I just cover whatever skin is exposed with a piece of cloth.

3. Invite pregnant and new moms to support meetings. Some moms need to hear from other moms to be convinced that they, too, can breastfeed. There are LATCH seminars, Medela classes, and La Leche League meets (where I started attending a year ago this month).

Plug: There will be a La Leche League meeting on July 23, 10:30 AM at Mothercare,Greenbelt5. More info on La Leche League Manila’s Facebook Page.

Not convinced yet? Maybe we could suggest the following to promote breastfeeding better:

1. Have more breastfeeding-friendly hospitals. My hospital had this big sign that theirs is indeed a breastfeeding-friendly one. It was from WHO, if I remember right. I did not take prenatal classes but with a little coaching and support from the resident doctors and midwives, I gave birth unmedicated. The baby was immediately latched on to me and she was roomed in a few hours after. The hospital had midwives who taught us about breastfeeding cues, latch, and so much more.

I’m fortunate also to have an OB-GYN who’s highly supportive of natural birth and breastfeeding. She’s vegetarian, too, so she made sure I ate healthy when I was still pregnant.

2. Have more breastfeeding-friendly pediatricians. Some say they’re breastfeeding-friendly, but they’d still resort to formula feeding after some time.

My baby’s own pedia asked if I still had breastmilk for my baby back when she was eight months, and yet she says she’s a breastfeeding advocate. Her secretary gave me a look when I breastfed my baby in the clinic while waiting for the doctor. She asked: “You still breastfeed? You still have milk?” As if it’s a bad thing!

3. Make nursing clothes mainstream, and cheaper. I only see nursing clothes online, and those in the mall are expensive and sad-looking, with zippers that are choking hazards. There’s the nursing cover, alright, but you need easy access to your milk source, right? You see really expensive nursing clothes and then tell yourself: nursing is for the rich.

Try the tube underneath your clothes. It does work, practice makes perfect. I have Undercover Mama from Mama Baby Love which hooks to your nursing bra.

4. Longer maternity leaves! Maybe four or six months is best for both mother and baby to establish breastfeeding and eventually introduce solids. Of course, ample recovery period for the mother, who may or may not suffer postpartum blues, is necessary.

My OB-GYN talked me into quitting my job to focus on my pregnancy, birth of the baby, and newborn care. So I did. And my husband and I didn’t regret making that decision. Slowly, I’m going back on track, teaching part-time and singing for events.

Breastfeeding involves dedication, passion, and determination. Don’t get mad, lactivists, but for beginners, I think a little breastfeeding is better than none. It’s a good start to convince new moms to breastfeed. It’s the most natural thing any mother can do, and it’s the cherry on top of the icing.

~ Touringkitty

Posts from other super breastfeeders below: