Nursing next to Lake Superior.
Don’t worry, I’m not going to go into details here for the sake of those of you readers who may not want to know too much information. But, I do want to just say that breastfeeding Genna has never been easy. From the start, she had difficulty latching, had to use a nipple shield (which is a whole other story), and would fall asleep before getting enough food. Then I developed mastitis. Then we had difficulty trying to get away from the nipple shield. Then nursing anywhere but home was extremely difficult with an incredibly active and squirmy baby, distraction, and hating the nursing cover. Then her teeth started coming in. Then I went back to work and my supply dropped significantly.
But now, at over 8 months postpartum, I am happy to say that we have made it this far still nursing. Other than growing and giving birth to our beautiful, amazing daughter, this accomplishment is the one that makes me most proud. I’m not trying to toot my own horn here, but not everyone realizes how hard breastfeeding can be, and it seems odd to have a family blog that never mentions what is, in fact, one of the biggest aspects of life with a baby. And when I start getting “looks” from people when they realize I am still nursing Genna, I just have to remind myself that this is the best possible situation for our family. I know breastmilk is–in so many ways–the best start to a healthy life, and I can give it to her. And I am.
