The first thing up is a cool give-away, a Tuesday Special- Kids Eat Free from Near Mama's Heart from My Baby and More. A sweet little breastfeeding book to share with little ones! There will be two winners, one for an English book and one for a Spanish book.
To enter simply post a comment below with a favorite breastfeeding memory and which language you're entering for and give us a vote on the TopMommyBlogs button on the side. That's it! Share this give-away with your friends, you've got a week to enter. Be sure to stop by the Near Mama's Heart Facebook Page and say hi.
Good luck!
I'm entering for English, please!
ReplyDeleteEvery part of breastfeeding has endeared me to my daughter. (Yes, even the torture of sore, cracked, bleeding nipples at the beginning brought me closer to her and enforced my desire to breastfeed.) My favorite nursing memory, however, comes at the end of a very trying 3.5 month-long nursing strike.
I was almost at the end of my rope. Every time I held my sweet six-month-old daughter at my breast, she screamed like I was trying to hold her up-side down by her toenails. It seemed the very thought of getting near the breast upset her. I didn't know what to do. I was exhausted from working a 40-hour week and keeping up a killer pumping schedule.
One night with a heavy heart and heavy eyelids I brought my beautiful daughter upstairs to call it a night. I put her on the bed and undressed (always sleeping topless so that she had an all-access pass to the breast). When I finished I picked her up and hugged her. I told her "I don't understand why you don't want Mama anymore, Puddin'" (it's near impossible to not take a nursing strike personally), "but I'm right here if you want to cuddle and nurse." As we laid down together on the bed, something great happened. Before I could even position myself on the mattress, my little girl reached out to my breast with both hands. I laid down beside her and she smiled, took it hungrily, and nursed herself softly to sleep. I thought my heart would burst!
At this point my little girl will only nurse through the night and I'm still pumping like crazy during the day to meet her needs, but that one evening was enough to lift my spirits and let me know that my little girl loves me - she just loves her independence as well.
OHHHH english please!
ReplyDeleteMy fav story.... Is when my daughters begin to realize when it is time to eat. When my oldest daughter (now 26 months) was crawling, I asked her "Joslyn do you want to eat?" and man did those little arms and legs crawl like the wind! She would speed crawl, barely touching the floor and would grunt the whole way to me! I am waiting to see what my 6 month old daughter does! hehe
To date the sweetest thing was the other day when my LO chomped down on my nipple with his little gums (no teeth yet). I looked at him straight in the eye and in a very stern voice said, "No sir, no biting." He looked up at me and gave me the BIGGEST smile and a little chuckle. He's too little to even know that I am upset with something he did. He just thought I was doing a silly voice. So innocent, I love it!
ReplyDeleteEnglish please :)
Spanish please! :)
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite memory is when he looked up at me with a mouth full of boob and a big milky smile on his face. He does this often now, and he giggles too, it's so sweet!!
English please...
ReplyDeleteI have typed this one-handed as my son Charlie is nursing now. :)
I have so, so many wonderful nursing experiences and memories having nursed my firstborn son until he was 3, which included nursing him while pregnant with my second son. However, I would have to say that the greatest nursing memory I have is from this past Thanksgiving Day. My youngest son, Charlie, was born on October 2. On October 3, he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called d-Transposition of the Great Arteries. We were transfered to the University of Michigan Mott Children's hospital, and Charlie had open heart surgery when he was 6 days old. He had only latched on a handful of times before being diagnosed, and after being diagnosed, he was given a bottle of my breastmilk when he was allowed, but since they needed to control his intake, he couldn't breastfeed. I detested pumping and avoided it at all costs with my oldest, but pumped religiously for Charlie, knowing that my milk would help with his recovery.
After Charlie's surgery, he developed a chylothorax, probably caused by a nick of his lymph duct during the operation. Due to the chylothroax he was unable to tolerate animal fat, and the protocol is to put these babies on a special diet consisting of very nasty formula for 6 weeks until the chylothroax resolves. My friend who is a lactation consultant in my hometown of Kalamazoo, MI contacted me, and said that they could spin my breastmilk to make it "skim" and that it could be supplemented and given to Charlie. My mom, father-in-law, and husband all ran my milk and the "skimmed" milk back and forth from Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo to make sure that Charlie had my milk.
After nearly three weeks (which felt like three months) in Ann Arbor, we returned home. Charlie was getting his feedings through a tube, but we slowly progressed to my "skim" milk concoction in a bottle. I was wondering if after 1.5 months of not nursing, and of not much time latched on in the chances he got, if my son would be able to nurse. I was determined that if I had to continue to pump, I would, even if it meant Charlie was bottle-fed with my milk, but I really, really hoped he would latch on so we could both enjoy the precious breastfeeding relationship. We did some practice latches and he did pretty well, but it would soon be the true test.
Charlie's first day that he was cleared to try "full-fatted" breastmilk was Thanksgiving Day. I didn't even opt to try a bottle - I just remember sitting there on the floor with him in my arms, and he latched right on and starting suckling! Tears came to my eyes - it was the most wonderful feeling ever!!! It was a true Thanksgiving for the both of us!
Charlie is now just over 8 months old and is just over 20 lbs! He refuses a bottle now, but that is totally fine with me!
@ skwavink your story brought tears to my eyes!!!!!!! so glad all worked out....hope he continues to grow healthy!
ReplyDeleteI'm entering for English! A favorite breastfeeding memory of mine is when we were at a LLL meeting and my LO squealed with delight when he saw my nursing wrap come out. :)
ReplyDeleteEnglish please!
ReplyDeleteFavorite nursing memory is when dear Logan was quietly nursing. we had a dim light on. He stopped (breast still in mouth), smiled, and said momma for the first time. So sweet.
English please!
ReplyDeleteThe last sweet memory of my 4yo nursing is him deciding that its ok to share his nums with his new baby sister in December and then he had a taste on each side and hasn't nursed since. I think he has finally weaned. It's so bittersweet.
English, please!
ReplyDeleteWhen my son Gavin was 2, he got a new Thomas the Train wooden car (Alfie is it's name) for his birthday. It is an excavator (?) car. He loved it so much, every time he nursed he would get it and cuddle up and roll it across my chest while he nursed. I have a small skin tag/growth on the skin over my sternum, and he would roll it back and forth, pretending it was scooping up the skin tag. He wouldn't nurse without it, and was still doing it a year later! My dermatologist recently offered to remove my skin tag, but I politely declined... too many memories there!!!
enter me! English, please :)
ReplyDeleteI cannot pick one favorite! I go to mommy & baby yoga with my 1 year old daughter and she does her little yoga poses while nursing, it is so much fun and totally hilarious to see her do downward dog nursing!
English please!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memory right now is of the first full day that my then 3 month old nursed all day and didn't take a bottle. An infant can be taught how to go back to the breast after latch problems.
English please
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memory would have to be the days that each of my children first recognized the breast. The giant toothless grin across thier faces when I lifted my shirt was wonderful, it was as if they were telling me how excited they were. I have never seen them react that way towards a bottle.
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ReplyDeleteI'm so confused. I can't figure out if this is a current contest. So, anyway, English Please, if the contest is still going.
ReplyDeleteMy fave story is of nursing in front of my whole anti-nursing family, and having them possibly understand the fun of nursing when my baby giggled with delight as I lifted my shirt for him to eat. I hope maybe, just maybe, if my sister's little boy's future wives want to BF long term, they get some support from my family.