Brooke shares her beautiful story is 2 stages:
One: My life is her life. We started out as one person as I grew her inside of my belly. Small & vulnerable placed on my chest she appeared. The room was still with small noises of breath and awe. My new role as protector, nurturer, educator – Mother – sunk in. Motivated, but nervous, we embark on a new journey – breastfeeding. She cries as I encourage her to try. Finally, she latches. Sigh. She nurses on demand. Every latch begins with a toe-curling twinge. But it is worth it. My life is her life.
Two: My boob is her boob. Acrobats, flying cartwheels, twists and turns define half of the minutes we share while nursing. The other half are silent, filled with sweet moments of pure admiration for one another. A small mole or strand of hair becomes an object of fascination while bonding with Mommy. Breastfeeding comforts her when she is hungry, tired, upset or scared. She falls asleep with rhythmic suckles; calms her crying eyes or panicked thumping heart and fills her small empty tummy. My boob is her boob.
An honest story from Chris:
I always thought I would breastfeed and it never occurred to me that it might not work. Then I had Noah, and it didn’t work. We had to use this bottle of formula with a tiny tube that I had to tape to my breast to supplement. The nurse came a week after Noah’s birth, she weighed him and he had lost more than he should have. I felt like a failure. She told me I was not a failure if I switched to formula, but I should make a choice not look back. We switched and Noah flourished.
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This theme of failure comes through often in your stories. My prayer is that none of your feel alone in your experience. My prayer is that I may be able to serve with compassion and knowledge. Your stories are powerful. I am honored that you are sharing your pain, your struggle, your success and all the stuff in between. I’m still accepting stories, ALL stories, regardless of what your experience was with breastfeeding, and will continue to do so until September 1 for publication on this blog. Please email me about your breastfeeding journey in 100 words or less to amber@ambermccann.com. Feel free to share this request.
I loved Brooke’s two pieces. So beautiful. It captures just how I feel about the breastfeeding experience with my 2 1/2 month old daughter, Ava. Lovely. “My life is her life.”
I wish Chris much strength. She tried breastfeeding and it didn’t work, but she did not fail. She is only doing the best by her son, Noah. Blessings to them both.
Beautiful, both. My story can’t be contained in 100 words, as with each baby I nursed longer than the previous. My last baby was adopted and I nursed him the longest. 🙂 Success should never be judged by whether or not milk is involved. Breastfeeding is much more than just milk.