I have breastfed all of my four children for varying amounts of time, and with varied success. With Tim, I quit after 5 1/2 months in tears, no support or knowledge. Then eleven years later, with Kate, I had "issues" and it seemed like my breast pump and I were closer than my baby and I. (Not really) With Sean, we made it one year, and had thrush for 9 months of it. For those of you not lactationally versed, that is just a huge pain in the, er..boobs. Then came Tommy. I set the goals, and one by one met them until I got myself into a situation of being somewhat stuck. Three years and five months. This is such a monumental accomplishment. While I have in recent months felt somewhat used, abused and violated at times, I have loved every precious moment looking down at those astonishingly beautiful faces. I have run my fingers through countless perfect curls, and traced their fat little cheeks a million times. I will truly miss those moments. (Moments, hours, days, months....) I have said it so many times about motherhood- the days drag on and on, but the months and years just fly by.
So I know this is really a beginning, not an end. I will keep repeating this to myself in the coming days...
Yes, you are right, the days and hours drag on and on and on and.....
ReplyDeleteAnd then you look up and you're oldest isn't a baby anymore and wait, now your youngest isn't a baby either. What happened?
Why it seems just yesterday I was nursing Mini Muffin, no wait, just yesterday I was nursing Mocha Muffin, and well today too LOL. But it doesn't seem possible that its really been 2 years since Mini Muffin weaned.
Congrats on getting through/surviving, four kiddos. May your ending of the nursing become the beginning of something even more complex and beautiful.
Or something like that.........