While breastfeeding, when did your cycle return?

Did you milk it for all it was worth? (breastfed or pumped)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

You are Extraordinary

Breastfeeding is an extraordinary gift. Don’t sell yourself short. If you are breastfeeding your child you are giving them nourishment that even science can’t duplicate. How amazing is that?

How amazing that the milk of your breast can sustain life (not to mention that you grew that baby inside you to begin with!) Even more amazing to me—the gift of milk to an adoptive mother—how cool is it that God would enable a mother to nourish a child not from her womb—but from her heart.

I wish I could say that each time I feed Par it is an amazing religious experience—but it is not. Sometimes I feel rushed, sometimes I’m tired, sometimes I’m chatting on the phone about The Bacholerette and how I think DeAnna should choose Jesse, sometimes I’m reading, sometimes the tv is on…but sometimes…sometimes I’m still and I can take in this amazing moment between mother and child—this moment can be so powerful. In this one moment I feel so in love with my child, I feel “right” with the world, I am in awe of my miracle—undeserving of him. And then, if I let myself get totally carried away with the moment and there isn’t a telephone ringing or tv blaring—I find myself imagining a most beautiful image—the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the Christ Child.
I love pondering this—such an amazing sight I can only imagine. Here, God has sent His Son so that we may have life—and the Christ Child’s own life is being sustained by the milk of his mother. Wow.
We know she breastfed Him…how do we know? Well, she was poor—so she obviously couldn’t afford Similac and they didn’t have Sam’s club to save money when you buy formula in bulk—right? We know she did because this was the only option.

So I wonder…


What day did Mary’s milk come in? Did she count the amount of times Jesus wet to know he was getting enough? Did He dive for her breast like my own son does when he is hungry (and this only happens when I’m talking to people in a public setting)? Did he fall asleep while nursing and Mary had to just sit there knowing that a hundred things needed to get done before her husband came home? Was Mary ever engorged? How long did Jesus nurse? And my most curious question…Did Mary cry when Jesus weaned?

I feel it is so important to be able to identify with other mothers—that is why I think supporting each other in breastfeeding is doing much more than we probably realize. Society is more understanding of the breastfeeding mothers than they were even 10 years ago—so there is progress. But please encourage your friends in BF—share your intimate nursing moments with each other to help remind yourself that BF is far more than nourishing your baby with the best stuff out there—but BF your baby nourishes both of your souls. Praise God for His amazing design of mother and child.

Now go give that baby some mommy milk!!!!