I am so thankful for the miracle of breastfeeding. I mean my body literally creates food to sustain another human being in addition to sustaining itself. Not only is this “liquid gold” the best nourishment I can give my sweet baby, but it also has so many other benefits. Yes, my baby nurses when he’s hungry, but he also nurses when he’s overstimulated and needs to be soothed, when he’s tired and needs help to go to sleep, when he’s upset and needs to be comforted, and when he just wants to feel close to his mama whom he shared a body with for 9 months. Nursing my son is more than just feeding him. It’s the ability to meet his needs even when I don’t understand what that need is.
For example, the other night I spent about 30 minutes bouncing, rocking, swaying, and singing in multiple different positions trying to help him get to sleep and none of them worked. He was wide awake. I try nursing him and he is asleep, I mean totally passed out, in about 10 seconds (before there was even a letdown of milk!). It’s amazing. Breastfeeding is the most intimate line of communication I have with my baby. It shows him he’s safe, loved, and comforted. Breastfeeding expresses my deep, pure love for my son to him in a way that words could never articulate.
