I did it! I want to shout it from the rooftops! I actually successfully breastfed my baby for a year!
In my world of 50-hour work weeks, commuting twice a week for college classes and raising a baby, it is no small feat that I was able to do this.
Today marks the first week where I am no longer lugging around a pumping bag and mini-bottle cooler. I no longer have to set timers and lock myself in a room in the middle of the day to “take care of business.”
My son and I no longer have to be a public spectacle in a restaurant, be forced to sit in the car for a half hour or sit in an awkward position in a bathroom stall.
The freedom is amazing.
Even my doctor was in awe, as she had a child about two months before my son was born.
“I don’t know how you did it,” she said. “But I am impressed.”
I am almost finished weaning Benjamin to cow’s milk, and he seems to really enjoy it. Now I can make up several bottles in advance and take them on the road, which expands the activities spectrum we can do as a family.
I no longer have to pre-plan day trips and account for a lengthy checklist of gear. I no longer have to take a quick tour of a facility to identify a suitable place where I will steal away for a half hour. No longer shall I be stricken with the pain of skipping a feeding.
To be honest, I still am pumping just before bedtime and when I get up in the morning. I have an ample frozen milk supply and I am looking into donating the remainder of my reserves through the National Milk Bank (nationalmilkbank.org), which distributes food products made from the milk to help newborns who don’t have access to breast milk.
This organization’s mission statement is to “make quality human breast milk available to all premature and critically ill babies.”
I love the idea of helping other families receive quality nutrition and immunities that are so important for those tiny bodies. If it helps just one baby’s tummy get nice and full, it will bring great joy to my heart.
So, take heart, young working mothers everywhere. You CAN do this. It takes hard work and dedication, but if you think breastfeeding is the right thing for you and your baby, you can make it work and achieve these goals.
Baby Ben and I are living proof.
— Sarah Leach is content editor at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
In my world of 50-hour work weeks, commuting twice a week for college classes and raising a baby, it is no small feat that I was able to do this.
Today marks the first week where I am no longer lugging around a pumping bag and mini-bottle cooler. I no longer have to set timers and lock myself in a room in the middle of the day to “take care of business.”
My son and I no longer have to be a public spectacle in a restaurant, be forced to sit in the car for a half hour or sit in an awkward position in a bathroom stall.
The freedom is amazing.
Even my doctor was in awe, as she had a child about two months before my son was born.
“I don’t know how you did it,” she said. “But I am impressed.”
I am almost finished weaning Benjamin to cow’s milk, and he seems to really enjoy it. Now I can make up several bottles in advance and take them on the road, which expands the activities spectrum we can do as a family.
I no longer have to pre-plan day trips and account for a lengthy checklist of gear. I no longer have to take a quick tour of a facility to identify a suitable place where I will steal away for a half hour. No longer shall I be stricken with the pain of skipping a feeding.
To be honest, I still am pumping just before bedtime and when I get up in the morning. I have an ample frozen milk supply and I am looking into donating the remainder of my reserves through the National Milk Bank (nationalmilkbank.org), which distributes food products made from the milk to help newborns who don’t have access to breast milk.
This organization’s mission statement is to “make quality human breast milk available to all premature and critically ill babies.”
I love the idea of helping other families receive quality nutrition and immunities that are so important for those tiny bodies. If it helps just one baby’s tummy get nice and full, it will bring great joy to my heart.
So, take heart, young working mothers everywhere. You CAN do this. It takes hard work and dedication, but if you think breastfeeding is the right thing for you and your baby, you can make it work and achieve these goals.
Baby Ben and I are living proof.
— Sarah Leach is content editor at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4278 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
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