Wow. I don’t know
about you guys, but the past few months have been insanely busy around here! J
worked full-time at eBay all summer, then we had our wedding in August (which
was absolutely amazing, but also a lot of work!), and soon after that J returned
to school/teaching, which has been very time-consuming for him. On top of all of the stay-at-home mommy duties, I’ve started nannying twice a week, which
involves picking a three-year-old up at preschool and bringing her back to our
place to entertain both her and Emi. It’s certainly helped me gain perspective
on what it might be like to someday have to care for two of my own kids (“busy”
doesn’t quite sum it up!). In the midst of all that, I’ve also been making some
pretty significant career decisions of my own; I’ve decided to return to school
to pursue a degree in lactation education. So, I’m signed up for an online
class through UC San Diego that is the first step in the process of becoming a
lactation educator. I’ve been learning a lot and have really enjoyed the course
so far.
My decision to pursue
this career came about from my own experiences and challenges with
breastfeeding and my desire to help other new moms. When Emi was born, I had
absolutely no idea how difficult it would be to breastfeed, let alone how much
support (both emotional and physical) I would need from lactation specialists
in order to succeed at breastfeeding. In fact, I was so convinced that it would
be easy peasy (you just attach the kid to the boob and the rest is history,
right?) that I didn’t even bother to take a breastfeeding class or read a book
about breastfeeding.
Towards the end of my
pregnancy, when my mother (who breastfed both her children) nonchalantly
suggested that I get in touch with the local La Leche League to meet some other
women who might be able to help me in the near future, I shrugged it off and
dismissed her advice. Little did I know just how thankful I would be to
eventually get through to one of those LLL leaders about two weeks after Emi
was born, desperate for help, because my nipples were incredibly sore and I
still hadn’t figured out how to latch her on so that it didn’t hurt like hell.
That woman was a savior, as were the lactation consultants I met with during
Emi’s doctor visits. I still remember one particular visit (probably 2 or 3
weeks postpartum) during which I literally broke down in tears in front of both
the lactation consultant and pediatrician because of how exhausted,
overwhelmed, and frustrated I was with my inability to enjoy breastfeeding. I
felt like a failure because feeding my baby was not the amazing enjoyable
"bonding experience" that I was led to believe it would be (though it eventually became that way after breastfeeding was successfully established). They kept telling me it “wasn’t supposed to hurt” and every
time I heard that statement, I died a little inside and wanted to punch whoever
said it. I now know that they meant well and weren’t saying it to anger me, but
as a way of encouraging me to continue to seek help until it no longer hurt
(because if it hurts, your latch or positioning probably need some tweaking…or,
in my case, a lot of tweaking, and
oftentimes the only way to fix that is to have a trained professional watch you
nurse your baby).
I also arrived at this
whole field from a health perspective since I have always been passionate about
healthy living, wellness, and food. We all know that breastmilk is incredibly
healthy for babies and contains things that formula cannot replicate (such as
important antibodies that boost a baby’s immune system), but did you know that it’s
also incredibly helpful for the mother and for the lifelong health of that
baby? Mothers who breastfeed have reduced rates of breast and ovarian cancer,
less osteoporosis later in life, and are less likely to hemorrhage after the
birth. The longer a baby is breastfed, the less likelihood that baby will
develop allergies, asthma, diabetes, and obesity later in life. That baby is
also less likely to have gastrointestinal problems.
I know some mothers
cannot breastfeed due to medical reasons, but I’m convinced that most mothers, if provided with the right
support and resources both prenatally and postnatally, can learn to breastfeed
successfully, as I did. It’s my mission to help as many new moms as I can with
that, especially young low-income moms, since they are the ones least likely to
attempt and succeed at breastfeeding. I am so thrilled to be entering this
field and cannot wait to share my experiences and knowledge with you all along
the way!
Plunge boldly into the thick of life, and seize it where you will, it is always interesting.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/seize.html#er52JFio1oC8qwdG.9
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/seize.html#er52JFio1oC8qwdG.9
"Plunge boldly into the thick of life, and seize it where you will, it is always interesting" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
