Celiac- My Blessing in Disguise

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2007, after a life time of vague physical problems and later terrible gastro-intestinal issues. Initially, I was devastated to have to live on a gluten free diet. My favorite food has always been pasta and I love all things that are starchy and delicious, i.e. gluteny. Over time, I have come to the realization that my Celiac has been a blessing.

You’re probably asking yourself how a disease can be a blessing. My Celiac has forced me to take a close look at what I eat. Whereas I used to give ingredients on food labels a quick glance-over at best, I have to study them very closely now. And there is a lot of stuff in our food that doesn’t need to be there!

Go into your pantry or fridge and pull out a food container of something that you consider to be a simple food. Let’s take a look at deli meat, for example. Should there be anything in there apart from meat and a few spices? I say no. However, if you read the packaging you will find a long list of confusing ingredients that sound chemical and not edible. What is BHA? Do I want to eat it?

I have found that we as consumers have become far too accepting of what kind of products are put in front of us. We buy what is available, even if it contains garbage that we really don’t want to eat, just because we feel like we don’t have many other options. In addition, many consumers don’t bother to find out to what is in the groceries they buy. As long as they can afford the price and it tastes good, there are few complaints.

I have started paying attention to what goes into my body. It has been a gradual process- from only checking for gluten at first, to trying to eat as naturally as possible now. This has not only influenced what I eat- it has forced my husband to eat more healthily, too. My children have made me be even more alert when it comes to the food that ends up on our table. I don’t want their delicate little bodies to be polluted by pesticides, artificial hormones, genetically modified ingredients, etc.

In addition, my lifestyle changes have had a slight ripple effect. Because I have to pay such close attention to my food, my friends have started to also pay attention. Reading food labels is just one of the ways they have started looking out for me and for themselves.

However, I can honestly say that my disease has not only affected my food intake. It has made me look at so many things in a different way. Because of my Celiac, I was determined to breastfeed my daughter. I’m not sure how it would have been otherwise. Because of my breastfeeding, I read the parenting books that I read, learned the things that I learned, and became the mother I am today. All in all, I have become a much more crunchy person and I love it!

Not only has the discovery of my Celiac made me a healthier person, I think it has made me an overall more conscious and therefore a better person. I am very grateful to be as healthy as I am now and that I have had the opportunity to make all these wonderful life changes. Even though I have come across people who have made fun of me or have been far from understanding, I can honestly say that I am very happy to be just the way I am- gluten free!

And My New Business Name Is...

Mother Naturally Doula Services!

I had a friend suggest 'Mother Natural' and after turning that over in my head for a while, I decided to change it slightly, but keep the gist of it. Thank you so much, dear Kim!

To all of you lovelies on FB- please come and like my business page. Here is a direct link to it, if you don't feel like searching: http://tinyurl.com/3ma2f96
Please let me know what you think!

Re-homing Morgan

As I wrote in an earlier post, we plan on moving to Europe in about one year. Sadly, we won’t be able to take our doggy Morgan with us (our other three pets are coming, of course) Here is the description I just sent to the rescue organization we adopted her from. They are going to try to help us find her a new home. If you are interested in adopting our beautiful pup, please send me a message!

“Morgan is a female Pit Bull mix, around 6 years old. She came to the Heartworm Project around 2 ½ years ago from a high-kill shelter, where the staff were so in love with her that they couldn’t stand to see her be euthanized. Morgan hasn’t had the easiest life- her embedded collar scars, a missing toe, etc. are proof of significant abuse by her original owner. However, this sweet girl’s temperament would never give you any reason to believe that she had ever been harmed. She has been with her current family for almost two years now. Unfortunately, the family will be moving to Europe within the next year and, due to breed restrictions, will not be able to take their beloved dog with them.

Morgan is potty trained and crate trained. She walks fairly well on a leash and knows the basic commands, i.e. sit and down. In her home, she has lived with a toddler and an infant, two cats, and a small dog. She gets along wonderfully with every living being and has never shown any sign of aggression! Morgan has the sweetest disposition and just loves to be snuggled and petted. However, she still has a lot of energy and would do best with a fairly active family. She would love a yard to call her own, but would not be suitable as an outside dog, since she is very sensitive to both the heat and the cold.

Morgan is spayed, up to date on shots, heartworm negative, and on heartworm prevention. She will stay with her current family until she finds her new home.”

In the Face of Negativity

It’s so easy to get distracted by the every day annoyances of life and lose sight of what is really important. Especially with a child in the ‘terrible twos’, it is a challenge not to fall into the trap of negative thoughts.

Lately, I have been in a Groundhog Day type daze, in which the days just run together and I am joylessly going through the same motions again and again. It feels as though my daughter has decided to fight me about everything- she has stopped eating, she won’t sleep, she won’t do anything if I ask her to, even if it is something she likes, etc. I am exhausted and my physically and emotionally drained self has gotten a little lost.

Thankfully, there are always moments that bring me back to where I need to be. Today I looked into my daughter’s room, where she was finally drifting off to sleep after 45 minutes of struggling, and I was able to really see her again for the first time in days. She is so beautiful! Everything about her is perfect- from her little toes, to her bruised little skinny legs, to the belly button she loves to play with, to her big head with the prettiest face you’ve ever seen! I wish you could see her like I see her, sweet and innocent. Vulnerable, but so strong already.

I am the most fortunate person in the world. My daughter is amazing in every single way. She is spirited and has trouble dealing with her thoughts and emotions sometimes. But hey, I have trouble with that myself! She is incredibly intelligent, sweet, kind, loving, and just overall wonderful. Just like every single one of you mommies out there, I feel like I have created the most stunning creature on this planet. Isn’t that fantastic?!?

But it doesn’t end there! I was lucky enough to have another child. Though he is still a baby, he is already showing me that he, too, is strong-willed and intelligent. He is sweet and cuddly, squishy and kissable. My little man reminds me so much of his father sometimes, it’s incredible. He is so gentle for his age, stroking my cheek or giving me a slobbery, open mouthed kiss. He is the perfect baby- the kind mothers hope for when they are pregnant: easy going, happy, and full of snuggles. He is, just like his sister, utterly beautiful in every way. I am amazed that my husband and I made something as perfect as my son every single day.

When I’m struggling with my children, I just need to remind myself of how wonderful they really are and of the fact that I am one of the luckiest people on this Earth. No matter how many times my daughter refuses to get into her car seat, or my son has a meltdown because I have to put him down to go to the bathroom, they are perfect and I wouldn’t want anything to be different. It’s easy to lose focus, but I am determined to keep myself on the positive track.

Meet: Carolina Cloth

I used to be so intimidated by the idea of cloth diapering. Thankfully, I had a wonderful network of mommies who helped me take the plunge. If you, too, are interested in cloth diapering, but are not quite sure if it is for you, I have some wonderful news, dear South Carolinians!

Carolina Cloth is a local company that specializes in all things pertaining to non-disposable diapers. It was started by my good friend, Leslie Twining, who above all wants to show people “… how easy cloth diapering can be and how much money it can save families.” Mostly, when buying cloth diapers, the only option to do so is online. Even the bigger stores, such as Target, that carry some cloth diaper styles do not have them in stores for you to look at and/or purchase. Thankfully, the Midlands have finally been blessed with their very own cloth diaper retailer.

Carolina Cloth carries the top selling diaper brands, such as BumGenius and Fuzzibunz, as well as some smaller brands, including Happy Heinys and Thirsties- both of the latter brands are made here in the USA. They are not limited to selling diapers, though- if you visit them at www.carolinacloth.com you will be able to find anything from products for pregnant and nursing mothers, such as breast pads, to diapering equipment, such as diaper sprayers.

Local customers can request to meet Leslie for pick-up and are thereby able to avoid paying shipping costs. But that is not the only way locals can save money when buying diapers from Carolina Cloth- check out their sales page for special low prices. Currently, there are sales deals available on BumGenius and Fuzzibunz diapers.

The best thing about Carolina Cloth is the awesome service available to its customers. Leslie offers in-home diaper consultations, where you can look at your diapering options in person rather than on your computer screen. She also organizes diaper parties, at which the host can receive special discounts and sales! (I am thinking about hosting one in the near future; sounds so much fun!)

Most importantly, Leslie wants to “take the fear out of cloth”. She offers educational classes in which she teaches the basics of cloth diapering to interested parents. The next class will be held Saturday, September 24, at 9:30 am. It will take place at the Expecting Well Maternity Spa & Wellness Center, 514 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC 29201. The class is free, so stop by!

For further information, visit the website or email Leslie: leslie@carolinacloth.com. You can also become a fan on FB https://www.facebook.com/#!/CarolinaCloth

Choosing A Business Name

I need a little bit of help, my friends! As you know, I am training to be a birth doula at the moment. Once I have completed the training, I will also get my postpartum doula certification. If I am feeling very ambitious and time permits, I may even get my certification in childbirth education.

Now that you have a little bit of background knowledge, please help me choose a name for my future business. I have had a few nice ideas, but most have already been used by other doula services. They are:

Baby’s Path

Baby’s Way

Mommy’s Little Helper

Special Delivery (I know, not very creative…)

Labor Love (this might be too birth specific)

Baby Love

If you had to choose from these options, which would it be? If you think they are all awful, please let me know and I will brainstorm some more. And of course, if you have any suggestions, please share them!

Priorities

This weekend I have been thinking a lot about our world and our society. Most of the time, things just don’t make sense to me. I spend hours turning thoughts over in my head, but never come to much of a conclusion.

I have been wondering about our priorities. We live in a world of luxury, while around one billion people are without food and/or water. 1,000,000,000 people! Does that make sense? Not in the least!

Especially when I see that the beer my husband drinks comes in a bottle with a new and improved bottle neck. Really? How much money was wasted ‘perfecting’ the shape of this bottle neck?

Such a huge number of people in the world have nothing, yet our society is spending money on research trying to find things that are so unimportant, like the best tasting toothpaste. Or ways in which our lives will be made ‘easier’, where we will have to move our muscles even less and have our butts grow even bigger.

You may think that I’m making generalized statements. That is true, but maybe we have to start ignoring the complexities of all the systems that are in place in the world to be able to see more clearly. There is no reason why anyone in this world should be hungry- there is enough food for all. Politics and economic boundaries are keeping hungry people from receiving food.

I want to start setting my priorities straight. I don’t care what my toothpaste tastes of or how many cups I can comfortably fit into cup holders in a prospective car. I want there to be healthy, fed people living on this Earth. I don't want any child to have to be without love and protection. I want the planet we live on to be kept healthy. Very simple.

These priorities seem overwhelming at first. For years, I have told myself that there is not much I can do about the state of the world. My opinion on this has been altered. Each one of us has the power to make changes- be it big or small ones. The most important thing is to understand your own priorities, then to start acting upon them. It’s time to stop feeling intimidated and to start making our voices heard.

Where do your priorities lie? What changes would you like to see in the world?

On My Plate

This may seem like a rant, but really I am just trying to paint a picture for you of my current life. I want to show you all the different hats I am wearing at the moment and why I am not always able to find the time to write like I would like to. Just recently I have realized how many ‘jobs’ I have actually taken on. While I don’t mind this in the least- I did so because I wanted to- I do feel like I need a break. Badly.

First and foremost, I am a mother to two wonderful littles. A toddler and a baby who keep me busy. We attachment parent and I breastfeed full time. Our children are a ton of work, but they are the most important things (can I say things? Beings?) in my life and I am so in awe of their fabulousness (yes, that is a word…)! I am in love with them and every day I get to spend with them is an absolute honor and a privilege. Did I mention that they are a lot of work?

I teach German online. In the evenings, after putting the littles to bed, I sit down at my computer and try to help people learn how to pronounce words like ‘Autobahnraststätte’. It is tiring, but makes me feel like I am at least minimally contributing to our household income.

I am studying to be a doula. Most of it is reading, but those of you with children will know how hard it can be to find a few minutes to be able to crack open a book, so the theoretical part hasn’t been going as quickly as I had anticipated. Sometimes the letters all fuse together on the page and I’m too tired to make sense of anything… I also get to attend births. All I can say about this is: Whoa! What an awesome privilege! (It is also physically and emotionally very challenging; more so than I had expected)

I am training to be a La Leche League leader. Breastfeeding has become more than a food source for my babies. It is very close to my heart and something I want to help women with. The LLL is an incredible organization that has provided me and countless other women with a support network, as well as priceless information. Becoming a leader will be my way of giving back, or so I hope.

I run a meetup group for SAHMs. We have around 60 members. It is a fun, but very thankless job. When the old organizer decided to step down, I didn’t want to see the group that helped me meet so many awesome mothers die. Hopefully, it will be a group that helps new mothers in the area meet new mommies who will then become part of their support system. I am also the assistant organizer of another meetup group for women from foreign backgrounds in our city.

I think I’ve listed all my ‘jobs’. Add to them my recreational obligations, such as friends, Twitter (you know who you are, my lovely social network friends), and blogging. You can probably understand how I almost never get to do anything for myself, something truly relaxing. Again, I am not complaining. Right now all I would like to stress is that I will need a break in the near future. With our families living far away from us, getting a break is not always easy. However, I think I will have to hand my plate over to someone else for a few hours, or else it might just start cracking…

Where We're At

I am just going to write a quick post to get some thoughts out of my head. By the way, while I’m at it, I would just like to say that I am more than capable of writing much higher quality pieces- I had an A in every single writing class I ever took at university, including my journalism classes. I intend on one day writing something truly great. Hopefully I will get to show you all I’ve got. In the meantime, this is what I do for recreational purposes in between diaper changes. I hardly edit at all because I don’t have the time. I am still bitter about not having been chosen as a writer for a local blog. Can you tell?

There, that feels much better! Here is a quick update on our current situation. A’s orders to Louisiana have been deleted! I don’t have to live in the swamp!!! Now we are waiting till the beginning of September, when A can drop his retirement paperwork. If all goes well, we will be retiring from the Army in a little over a year right here in SC. (My use of the word ‘we’ was deliberate- even though it is not my employer, the Army has still been the boss of my family…)

Please keep your fingers crossed for an approved retirement. After 19 years in the Army, it’s time A was allowed to choose where he lives and what kind of job he wants to work in. I can’t wait to see him as a civilian!

Regarding our new home, we have almost decided on a place to move. It looks as though our perfect place will be Germany. Of course we can’t say for certain that we will be moving there next year, but we are planning like we will.

Unfortunately, due to breed restrictions in Europe, we will not be able to take our wonderful dog with us. If you are interested in adopting Morgan, our wonderful Pit Bull (or, as our adoption papers stated, ‘Boxer Mix’), please contact me about her. She is the sweetest dog and I am sad to have to give her up…

Our sweet girl

The doula training is going well. I have already attended the two births required for certification and just have to get the rest of my reading done. Not always easy with two crazy littles, but I’m working on it.

As you see, there’s nothing too terribly exciting on the horizon just yet. Change is coming, though, and I’m ready!

PS: I feel as though my blog isn’t really going anywhere. I would love to make improvements, but am not sure in what department(s). If you have any suggestions, please share them! I would be more than happy to make changes to anything from design to content. Thank you in advance!

Wordless Wednesday: In Our Cupboard

Ten Things...

The wonderful @deskmonkeymummy tagged me in her recent ‘Ten Things…’ post, which means that I have to write one now, too. From what I understand, I am just supposed to write ten things about myself that my readers may not know about me. It was quite a challenge. There are lots of things you guys probably don’t know about me, but most of those are super boring.

So, I brainstormed a little last night, looked into the depths of my soul (not true- just adding this for suspense…), and came up with these:

1.       I’m actually a fairly good singer. You should listen some time.

2.       I’m afraid of heights, the dark, and spiders (actually, any creepy crawlies that belong to the insect or arachnid world)

3.       I got married when I was 21 years old. We separated 15 months later.

4.       My favorite food is Macaroni & Cheese. Not the box kind, the real home made deal. However, any pasta will make me happy.

5.       I have Celiac Disease, which makes 4. quite ironic.

6.       I used to have green hair. I also had red, orange, pink, and yellow hair. Never did blue, but not sure why.

7.       I LOVE wine. Sometimes a little too much.

8.       Despite the fact that I can ooze great self-confidence in public, I am actually full of self-doubt and have pretty low self-esteem.

9.       I saw the film Trainspotting eight times in the movie theater.

10.   When I asked my husband what I should write, he told me to mention that I love making lists and plans. “Detailed, explicit plans…” Doesn’t appear to be a bad thing, but it hinders me in many ways. The bulk of things overwhelms me, which prevents me from starting projects, etc.

There. I hope that was interesting enough. Now to tag some more people to spread the joy of list-making:

@anonyMOMous

@mommyundressed

@mamaPSU

@jillsmo

@L_A_C_E_

And @mbneil, in the hopes that she’ll start a blog.

I Want My Village!!!

They say that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, where is my village? I feel like I am entitled to some help, so please bring me a village now!

Seriously, if we don’t bring the ‘villages’ back, in whatever form is possible in our modern society, I truly believe we are doomed. Like animals in the zoo who don’t know what to do with their young because they never had the opportunity to learn from their fellow (insert species here), us humans are slowly but surely unlearning how to take care of our young.

It starts with giving birth. In the mid 1900s, women were put under general anesthesia for the duration of their labor. Some where even put in straitjackets. Really?!? They woke up and were handed a clean baby. Is it any surprise that women felt detached from their children? Birth is becoming more and more medicalized. While women in underdeveloped countries have a support network of village women to help them through labor, women in the ‘developed’ countries are put in hospital and treated like sick people without much emotional support. We as a species are on our way to forgetting how to give birth.

Breastfeeding is an art form that is on the verge of extinction in developed countries. While children are breastfed up to around age four in developing countries, babies here are lucky if they get any breast milk at all. Of course formula is also an adequate form of nourishment and has been a blessing for innumerable babies. On the other hand, we as human beings have surrendered our inherent power over what our infants ingest. We feel like our milk is inferior to formula, not trusting our bodies to produce what they were made to for our babies. Instead, giant corporations are now in charge of feeding us from birth to grave…

How to raise our children is a mystery to many of us. I know I am often completely at a loss and cram my head full of information I have read in books or on the Internet. It’s not because we have no common sense. It’s because we have lost our villages as an example and support network.

When I had my first baby, I was a few weeks shy of 30. While I had been around many of my friend’s infants, I had never lived with one or been with one for more than a few hours. I found myself utterly confused and terrified of making a mistake. I was given so much advice from all kinds of well-meaning people, but unfortunately it was all conflicting. When one person told me that spoiling a baby was impossible, the next told me that I shouldn’t pick my baby up too much.

I was given my first attachment parenting book by one of my best friends and found exactly what I was looking for. However, each new stage in my children’s lives has me standing in front of a brick wall again. The suggestions stream in from both sides, but what is the right one? I try to trust my instincts as much as possible, but it is difficult in a world in which we are so removed from all that is innate to human nature.

The more women are all alone with this huge task of motherhood, the worse it is going to get. We as humans are not made to sit in a house all day by ourselves with our children. Think of the villages- everyone being together, the mothers talking, the children playing, the babies attached to breasts or sleeping in arms. What has happened to us? I am sick of it and I want a village, so please let’s try to bring them back!!!

The Day I Lost My Mind

I love being a mother. However, today I have reached my limit. For those of you who don’t know my family: my daughter is almost 2 ½, my son is 9 months. It really is funny because just the other day I was thinking that having two children wasn’t nearly as bad as people had made it sound. Then everything got difficult.

My daughter is possessed by a demon or something. (I’m not serious, just trying to make a point) Last week, she bit another child- it was hard enough to leave a nasty mark. She is overall aggressive, hits, kicks, pinches. She has been refusing to do anything anymore- from the simple things like washing her hands to potentially dangerous situations in which she runs away from me, refusing to hold my hand. I said: “R, you cannot run away from Mummy!”, she responded: “Yes, I can. I’m very fast!”

Everything is a struggle and a fight. I try threats, I try bribes, I try rewards, all without success. It has worn me down physically and emotionally. I am starting to doubt myself as a parent, which I usually don’t do.

On top of this came that on Friday, she started climbing out of her crib and coming out of her room during nap time. We had to convert her bed to a toddler bed, so she wouldn’t hurt herself climbing in and out. It’s a catastrophe! She came into our room and woke me this morning at 6:30 am. I just fought with her for 1 ½ hours trying to get her to nap. Nothing will convince her to stay in her bed or even her room.

You’re probably thinking: ‘Ok, pretty typical, we all have to do it as parents.’ Here is my problem: I have a baby who is still exclusively breastfed and whom we attachment parent. He sleeps with us. He cannot fall asleep without either suckling at the breast or being held.

As a result, he hardly ever gets a good nap. His sister either wakes him immediately or he never gets to fall asleep. And he really needs to nap! I feel so guilty, but there is no way I can leave my daughter unattended. Even if I did, she would come looking for me as soon as she noticed my absence.

My son decided a little over a week ago that he should start crawling. So I cannot leave him unattended, either. If I try putting him in a playpen or crib while I deal with his sister, he screams bloody murder.

I am so torn. I feel as though my head is going to just pop at any minute. I haven’t slept an entire night in the last 2 ½ years and I am physically and mentally exhausted. I feel like I am wronging both of my children. I am incapable of giving them both the attention they are looking for and need.

Honestly, I am at my wit’s end. I was so angry with my daughter during nap time (which is actually ongoing...)- I tried time-outs, I tried reasoning, begging, I even yelled. Have I done everything wrong? Is my style of parenting just not doable with two children? And if this is the case, why didn’t anyone tell me?

I know I’m going to get buckets full of suggestions, from the harsh who suggest beating my child, to the extremely gentle who suggest co-sleeping with both children. I have thought of most possible scenarios and I just cannot come up with a reasonable solution.

Writing this down, I feel so ridiculous. I have two small children who are perfectly healthy and overall wonderful, yet I am complaining. Let me tell you, I have had some pretty challenging jobs in my life, but this is by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Nothing has ever made me feel so out of control and close to insanity as motherhood has.

WBW: What I Love About Breastfeeding

You’re probably wondering what the acronym in the title is for. This week is World Breastfeeding Week! In honor of this wonderful week, I will be writing only breastfeeding related posts. If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to email me tellvivien@yahoo.com.

In my last post, I wrote about What I Hated About Breastfeeding. I hope this wasn’t too misleading- I actually love breastfeeding! I nursed my daughter for 15 months- I was pregnant and my milk dried up- and I am still almost exclusively breastfeeding my 9 month old son. I am training to be a La Leche League leader and am trying to help women be successful at nursing their babies. So today, I am going to tell you about all the things I LOVE about breastfeeding.

For the mother:

Before we look at the many benefits for the baby, I want to tell you how great it is for the mother. This might seem trivial to you, but I love to be able to eat an additional 500 calories (rough estimate) per day! Because of the extra calories my body uses daily, I was able to easily lose 12 lbs over the last few weeks. And I am able to enjoy ice cream more often!

Another benefit to the mother’s health was shown in a study released by the Archives of Internal Medicine. For women who have a family history of breast cancer (first-degree relative, such as mother or sister), lactation reduces the incidences of premenopausal breast cancer by 59%! The study found that the length of lactation was not important- the main thing was that the ladies breastfed at all.

For the baby:

As we all know, breast milk is the perfect food for babies. It is made by the mother’s body to meet the specific dietary and immune needs of her baby. The composition of breast milk is still a mystery to scientists, who have been trying to synthetically reproduce it for decades. Every woman makes unique milk to suit her baby that contains just the right balance of nutrients and immune boosters to help her little one grow.

Breastfed babies are less likely to become obese later in life. Scientists believe that the breastfed baby eats exactly according to its needs, stopping when he or she is full, and thus developing good eating habits. It is not possible for a breastfed baby to overeat, so always feed when he/she is hungry!

Breast milk takes on a slightly different flavor at each feeding, depending on the foods the mother is eating. Through this, the baby is introduced to very subtle variations in taste, which may help the child be a little less picky when it comes to eating solids later on.

For both:

One of the most obvious advantages of breastfeeding is the fact that is always readily available. There are no bottles to worry about that need cleaning and sterilizing- all you need is your breasts. Your little one doesn't have to wait for the meal to be prepared because it is always ready. If you have to go on a trip somewhere, there is nothing you need to pack for your infant’s feeding needs. All he/she needs is you!

There is no formula that needs mixing and heating to a certain temperature that can spoil or be contaminated- breast milk is always served at the perfect temperature and it leaves the body in a sterile state. You don’t have to worry about the manufacturing process or possible recalls- your breasts do all that work without the risk of human failure. An exclusively breastfed baby doesn’t even need any supplementation with water because breast milk covers all the bases.

My favorite thing about breastfeeding by far is the close bond that develops between mother and child. I cannot imagine anything more wonderful than snuggling up with my baby for a nice feed. When my last baby has stopped nursing, I know I will miss the closeness between us. I will miss the times where we gaze into each others eyes. I will miss the way he giggles on the breast when I do something funny. I think when my last drop of milk has dried up, I might wonder what my breasts are for without a baby attached to them…

Disclaimer: This is not an extensive list of the benefits of breastfeeding, but merely my list of my favorite things about it. I am not implying that every woman is capable of breastfeeding, nor am I suggesting that formula is bad.