Diana,

I think that the point you make is a good one. The adjustment to motherhood
can be very overwhelming. Before my first child was born, I had very
unrealistic expectations about what breastfeeding and being a stay at home
mom was going to be like. I pictured myself having plenty of time to keep
the house clean and organized, having dinner prepared each night for my
husband when he got home form work, etc. Wow, was I in for a shock! After
our son was born, my husband usually came home to me sitting on the sofa
nursing (the same place I had been when he left for work), the house in a
mess and sandwiches for dinner! 

I found the transition of going from being at work to being at home full
time a difficult one in the beginning. My son nursed every hour and half for
an hour at a time, so getting anything done was almost impossible.
Initially, I spent a lot of time on the sofa thinking about all of the
things I should be doing rather than enjoying my time with our son. I also
used to get pressure from family (the usual "he can't be hungry again, he
just ate!"). Once I realized however, that all of my time on the sofa was in
fact accomplishing something wonderful - the nourishment and nurturing of
our son, it became easier to cope with the changes.

I make a point of talking about this with the pregnant mothers that I see.
Society places so little value on the act of mothering, that it can be very
hard for mothers to see that they are doing a very important (and very
demanding!) job while nursing their child(ren). 

Warmly,
Fleur Bickford BSc., RN, LLLL
Ontario, Canada

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