Adventures in breastfeeding.

This has the potential to be a TMI subject for some of my more sensitive readers (read: men). But hey, this is my blog and these are my thoughts. Proceed with caution, and rest assured there are no pictures involved here.

Today I nursed Victoria for the final time and it was kind of a bittersweet moment for me. She is just over 9 months old and it has been a taxing thing for me to keep up with the breastfeeding for this long. I have to eat and eat and eat and I still struggle to keep a supply. And even the slightest bit of exercise messes me up for two days. Meanwhile my behind has ballooned to epic proportions! It is a great feeling to have my body back and to be able to start a diet that I have been so anxious to start. But I am going to miss the quiet feeding times early in the mornings, snuggled up in bed. And also the noisy feeding times on the couch with Charlotte trying to climb on us and distracting Victoria from the task at hand.

Here is a sort of top ten memorable moments from the last 9 months.

10. The first time I ever fed Victoria right after she was born. She was an automatic champ at it which is always a bit of a relief.  There was no learning curve.  She just knew how to do it.

9. Nursing every one and a half hours for the first 3 months of her life. How did I keep up with that?

8. Going back to work and driving back and forth from the salon 3 times to feed her during the day because of her adorable refusal to drink from a bottle. This eventually forced me to move to a closer salon.

7. Five month old Victoria still on a two hour schedule. Nuts!

6. Flashing all of the other nursing mothers in my ward.  Victoria hates to be covered with a blanket, and I have learned to be quite discreet, but sometimes it's just not good enough.  But seriously, what are those girls being so shy about?  We're all in that little room together doing the same dang thing, and rest assured, I'm not trying to sneak a peek.  We all know how to avert our eyes, don't we?  I just can't be bothered with a big fancy nursing cover.  

5. Five month old Victoria, still on a two hour schedule, and wanting to keep that up all through the night.  This led to her sleeping in our bed and me nearly losing my mind.

4. 3. and 2. Okay, I'm running out of moments.  It's kind of just a day in, day out kind of thing, nursing a baby.  Half the time you don't even realize you're feeding a baby because you are multitasking.  Talking on the phone, typing one handed on the computer, reading a book to your other child, trying to remember how much butter Paula Deen put in her peach cobbler.  

1. Last sunday, all alone in the mother's room at church, and nursing Victoria to sleep.  I knew that I'd be weaning her soon and I knew that those moments weren't going to happen anymore. I just kept kissing her sweet forehead and smelling the top of her head.  She is a little girl who has been so anxious to grow up and move around.  But I thought for sure she'd resist me when I switched her to bottles.  I'm thankful that it has been a smooth transition.  But I'm going to miss the quiet moments with my nursing baby where I can tickle her cheek and make milk dribble out of her mouth when she smiles.