I'm a minority!

I don't know if being a woman is considered a minority. Since I am caucasian and chose a very female-dominated career, I have never really considered myself a minority. But now, I can officially say that I am. I am a part of only 17% of women still breastfeeding their child at 12 months. (Note: For those of you lacking knowledge about children, babies cannot tolerate cow's milk their first year of life. They must have breastmilk or formula.) (Another note: yes, this is going to be about breastfeeding, so for those of you not interested in this topic , feel free to go back to updating your Facebook status.)
Besides saving my family over $1,000 in the cost of a year's worth of formula (over $2,000 total if you count Xavier, too-shouldn't I get a nice vacation or some jewlery out of this deal?), I have provided my child and myself with countless benefits that only breastfeeding can (if you want some idea of these benefits, click here.)

Oh,it wasn't all baby powder and lullabies. We definitely had a rough start. Both of my kids had issues latching on that left both of us crying and frustrated. But, I persevered (which is very unlike me...just ask my mom about the various lessons I quit as a child) and had a very easy time once we made it through the first few weeks. And wow- for a beta (a.k.a. lazy) mom like me, breastfeeding is the way to go. I rarely had to wash bottles. I never had to take nourishment for my babies with me when I left the house...it was already attached! One less thing to forget. At night, I never had to go downstairs to warm a bottle. In fact, I barely even opened my eyes for night feedings! Breastfeeding honestly made my crazy-sleep deprived life less complicated. Can you imagine the horror of a getting up for a 2 a.m. feeding and finding that all the bottles were dirty?

So, what helped make me join less than 20% of women who made it through the first year of breastfeeding? Here are a few things that helped me:

1. The Breastfeeding Class Prior to Giving Birth- Who knew there was actually a technique? I just thought it was natural-slap the baby on and it starts to eat. Much better to learn about nursing positions and possible problems and solutions while you are bright-eyed and giddy about the upcoming birth of your child than when you are working on 1.5 hours of sleep in three days, crying 24/7 due to post partum hormones, and have a hungry baby screaming in your ear.

2. A Supportive Husband- Here's a little background info on my husband: Prior to even knowing me, he gave a persuasive speech at his all-male college about the benefits of breastfeeding. (He claims it was so he could get away with showing pictures of the female breast in class.) Supportive? You betcha. He attended the breastfeeding class with me and was incredibly helpful during those first few weeks when I was having trouble. (Not so helpful when he was telling me that I was not positioning a newborn Xavier correctly at 3:00 a.m., when I had been up for 24 hours and had just had surgery, but that was the only time I wanted to throw a bedpan at him, I swear.)

3. The Hospital Breastfeeding Support Group- I realize this sounds like quite the dirty-hippy gathering, but this free, weekly group accomplished many things for me:

a.) It got me out of the house and around adults
b.) Provided help from other moms and a lactation consultant
c.) Introduced me to several friends that I am still close with
d.) Made me comfortable with discreetly breastfeeing in public places

I did not need this group as much with Aubrey, but it was a Godsend with Xavier.

4. Being a Stay-at-Home Mom- I did have the ease of not having to pump milk on a regular basis since I was staying home with my child. I did from time to time so the I could leave the house without a baby for more than 2 hours, or for Shawn to take over some night feedings on the weekend, but I realize moms who work outside of the home have the added challenge of finding a time and place to pump during the day.

5. My Hooter Hider (Also Known as a Nursing Cover-Up)- A big thanks to my domestically-inclined mom friend, Michelle (who I met at the hospital breastfeeding group when Xavier was a babe) for making me one of these as a gift when I had Aubrey. This made breastfeeding in public much easier. With Xavier, I used a receiving blanket as a cover-up. Great in theory, but it often slipped down and also exposed my post baby roll of belly fat. This provided coverage in all the right places, was lightweight, had boning at the top that curved out so I could see my baby, and had an adjustable strap around my neck so it stayed on. Here's an example of one. They are kind of pricey to buy, but if you or someone you know can sew, I cannot imagine the materials needed are very expensive. Probably cheaper than a can of formula.

So, to all of you breastfeeding mamas out there...keep on keepin' on and let's try to make this minority a majority. To all of you who did not or could not breastfeed-this is not made to make you feel bad about not breastfeeding your child. I honestly thought about whether or not I should write this for fear of hurting someone's feelings, but that is not my intention. I decided that this was my blog, so if I wanted to pat myself on the back, I would, regardless of if anyone else cared about my personal accomplishment. That's the beauty of my blog; I get to choose the content.

So, when will I stop? Well, Xavier was weaned around 13 months. He was only nursing about 2 times a day by then. Aubrey would nurse 20 times a day if I let her, but is content with just a few times. I don't feel I need to hurry her, since she really only nurses at home. Plus, this could be our last baby, so the sappy mom in me is trying to hold on to that baby girl as long as I can. It works for us, and that's what matters. If you are still with me after this long post, thanks for reading.