The Goal

When my husband and I first found out we were having a baby, we were super excited and couldn't wait to welcome her into the world. Now, at 11 weeks old, I can only say that the excitement then is nothing compared to the daily joy of holding her in my arms. She truly is the best thing that's ever happened to me. The story of our pregnancy was fairly typical to that of most pregnant mothers in the United States. I found out I was pregnant at about 6 weeks along, and confirmed my pregnancy with my OB/GYN. I had been seeing the same doctor since I was 19, and had figured that was just the way that things were done.

Late in the second trimester, my husband and I watched a documentary called, "The Business of Being Born." Game changer. I had always planned on going as natural as I possibly could. A lot of people would side eye me on this, and say things like, "yeah right, you'll see when you're in the hospital." I didn't like hearing those things, because to me, I had the mindset that giving birth had been done for thousands of years before me, and the idea of medical intervention was relatively new in the grand scheme of things. So the great hunt began.

I went on a quest to find a midwife that would still take me on. I was very lucky to find one in the town I live in, and not too far from work. Our first meeting made me feel a bit awkward, as the concept of a midwife felt foreign to me. I loved her from that beginning though. She put me at ease, suggested some readings, explained how a midwife works, and what her roll would be in helping to bring my little girl into the world. She encouraged me to find a doula (professional labor coach) and asked how involved my husband planned to be. The questions just felt right. So of course, I switch from an OB/GYN hospital birth plan, to a midwife assisted birthing center plan. I'm very fortunate that my state allows free standing birth centers, and a great one was only about 45 minutes from our home.

One of the topics that our midwife brought up frequently was what concerns I might have. Like most first time mothers, I was so nervous about breast feeding. I'd heard horror stories about people who couldn't make milk for their babies. I'd had a relative who's milk didn't come in for 6 days, and supplementing with formula was recommended. I'd read articles about the benefits of breast feeding, and about the concerns of formula fed babies. For some reason, our country has been divided. I felt like I would be shamed for feeding my child the way my body was designed to do. I wasn't sure if I would be able to, but I told my midwife I want to breast feed for at least the first year.

Now, considering that I have a full time job, I knew this was going to be one of the biggest challenges for me. My midwife assured me that if I was serious, that I could definitely make that happen. 11 weeks in, and we're still going strong. I've returned to work this week, and have come to the realization that we have very limited support or knowledge of breast feeding in this country. The goal and purpose of my blog is to document the struggles, challenges, and rewards of breast feeding my child for at least the first year of her life. It won't always be easy, but I know there are others out there struggling to achieve their own goals. Whatever yours may be, I welcome your support and encouragement, and am right there beside you nursing on.