I have no memory of the first time I breastfed my
daughter. Not even a hazy, blurred
image.
Nothing.
Not. One. Thing.
Nothing.
Not. One. Thing.
Her birth was traumatic to say the least and I am lucky to still be here today. That first feed must have happened…because
here we are, four years later, ‘still’ nursing…but I simply have no
recollection of the moment.
Luckily enough, I now find myself with a healthy and
thriving four year old. And through this blog and my Facebook page, I am blessed enough to connect with moms from
across the world every single day. Moms
with stories similar to my own and moms with stories that differ from every
angle. And yet we still find ourselves united.
We need to hear about stories, struggles and triumphs that
differ from our own. Just as we need
to hear about the journeys that follow the same road that we happen to be walking along.
Truly - we need one
another.
Because no breastfeeding journey is too short or too long ago. No nursing experience is too mundane or too
unusual.
We need to hear from the women who breastfed half a century
ago...just as we need to hear from the women currently waking up each night to nurse their babies in the dark.
We need to hear from women who struggled and fought to
continue to breastfeed, but who didn’t manage to....just as we need to hear from the women who breastfed past toddlerhood.
We need to hear from the women who exclusively pumped for their little ones, and the women who relied on donor milk to nourish their
children.
Just as we need to hear from the women who tandem and triandem fed
their nurslings...because these women are our sisters…they are ambassadors for
our cause.
Quite simply - we need one
another.
And in this way, the fact that I have no memory of the first
time I breastfed my daughter does not leave this notion of ‘first feeds’ out of
my reach. I am not cast out from the
celebrations of moms who do
remember. We can share together – to advocate, to normalize and empower – and we can find strength through one another’s journeys.
Because when I see images of newborns taking their first
feeds, I feel like every single story is a way of celebrating my daughter’s ‘lost’ first feed.
So it is with true happiness that I share these images
below. Here are the images of our
sisters…of women who walk totally unique paths and yet whose footsteps leave
imprints in our hearts.
I give to you, Mama Bean's First Feeds...with love.
I give to you, Mama Bean's First Feeds...with love.
Thank you to each of the mamas above, for allowing me to feature their pictures in this piece. For more photos in celebration of breastfeeding and motherhood, join the Mama Bean village on Facebook!
Related posts:
- I Didn't Count Her Toes
- 4 Words Every Breastfeeding Mother Needs To Hear
- Why Nursing In Public Should Be No Big Deal
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OMG I think there's gonna be a baby boom 9 months from now! So cute!
ReplyDeleteI would rather remember the easy, pain-free, joyful feeds further down the line!
ReplyDelete