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Thursday, October 3, 2013

The importance of feeling comfortable

I've encountered so many mommas who stopped breastfeeding earlier than they expected for various reasons.  Some of which, honestly, I thought were excuses. I just want to reiterate that when you are ready to stop nursing your baby, then stop.  One reason I was hearing a lot of was that,"it just wasn't for me." Maybe just maybe it was something else...something deeper? Could it have been a feeling of uncomfortableness (is that even a word)?  If you find yourself feeling resentment or feeling malaise while sitting down to feed your baby, first ask yourself why??  Is it because you have dishes sitting in the sink from three days ago, or because you just sat down to type that email and here you go again...no time for yourself!  Or have you or your baby (or both) just moved on and it's time to let go of breastfeeding?

  I remember when my oldest was nursing just for comfort, around 2.5 years old.  We would snuggle up to nurse and then he would latch on...at that very moment I would start to feel uncomfortable....looking back now I know it wasn't because I had "things to do" but rather it was the natural and instinctual "start of the end".  After about 1-2 minutes of nursing I would unlatch him and tell him that was it.  He was satisfied with 1-2 minutes of nursing because he wasn't in it to eat he just wanted comfort and surprisingly our beautiful season of nursing would naturally and gently come to an end.

 So, the importance of feeling comfortable while nursing is vital.
Please learn to relax and enjoy these moments, they will come to an end sooner than you might think. Once you are ready to stop nursing for whatever reason it's okay, don't make excuses, be honest with yourself.  Everyone is different and every baby is unique.  Nurse as long as you can, every ounce of milk you give your baby is a beautiful gift, even if it's for 1week or 3 years.

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