I know you’ve heard it all, had it totally jammed down your throat, and quite frankly, couldn’t care less, but I have to share with someone why I thank God for my breasts.
I’m going to totally ignore the doctors/midwives/old wives and their reasons why ‘breast is best’, and tell you what I love about it. Here goes.
1) I love the fact that I am personally nourishing my baby. Sometimes I feel like a big pool of love is flowing from just above my belly button right through that there nipple and in to her. Sound strange? Sorry ’bout that.
2) I love her 4am feed. I can see her little face peering up at me in the moonlight/general light that bounces off the clouds in London. During those feeds she stares up at me, her eyes not budging from mine and it’s as if the whole world, my whole life, her whole future passes between us in those moments. Precious special moments between just me and my little girl.
3) My sister lavishes Ameli in attention. My husband can get the biggest smiles from her. Friends spoil her with gifts and clothes. In fact, even friends of friends spoil her. Strangers in shops stop to comment on how small/cute/beautiful she is. I can do all the above, but my doing so is diluted in it having been done by others. I alone can give her this. This is my gift to her.
4) I can sit on the sofa for a few hours every day, and burn up to 500 calories without lifting a finger. I’ve spent entire days of my life in the gym, weeks on diets, years thinking about both. Never have I burned 500 calories by sitting. I can’t complain.
5) I am so totally disorganised. I say I’m going out for an hour, and come back five hours later. I say I’m going to one shop, and end up traipsing around a city. If I had to carry bottles, my poor child would starve. I love that I can feed her whenever, wherever. I love that I don’t have to carry bottles. Big nappy bags drive me crazy.
6) I am fascinated by the ‘power’ of breast milk. I have used it to cure Ameli’s ear infection in under 12 hours, her congestion in 20 minutes, and an eye infection in about the same length of time. Of course, she thought I’d gone blind, what with putting milk in her eyes, ears and nose all in a 24 hour period. Poor little girl. She scratched her face with her nails, and the milk even cleared those up in less than a day.
7) More on the miracle of breast milk – I am awed by the fact that it naturally thickens in cold weather, thins in hot weather. I don’t know any other food that does that!
8 ) My breasts seem to know when my baby is hungry. I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. Last night I was sitting on the sofa quitely burning calories, and I said to my sister that Ameli would wake soon. I knew because my breasts were aching. Not 15 seconds passed, and she woke up very hungry. My breasts knew, and told me. Love it.
9) No matter what has upset her, whether she’s been hurt, is tired, is hungry, or is feeling unwell, a few moments at the breast and she’s happy again.
10) When Ameli is really really hungry, she’ll attack the boob with ferocity, have a few sips and pull away long enough to flash me a smile, before focusing all her attention back on lunch. It is simply too cute. That in addition to having developed a habit of holding on to the breast as if to say ‘MINE! ALL MINE!’… well, it melts me.
Nope, I am sure there are many who wont agree, and there are as many who would love to agree, but for some reason just couldn’t, but for me breastfeeding has been one of the most unexpected beauties of parenting.