I remember looking forward to my first baby. What an abstract concept! And I
remember looking forward to my second baby, and marveling at how abstract
that felt too. I know part of why I decided to breastfeed was an almost
archetypal-feeling memory of a neighbor breastfeeding. (Now I know what that
prolactin glow was all about!)
Like Laurie (and all the rest of us!) I work with all kinds of moms who are
facing all kinds of challenges. Over and over, I look to give the mom some
success. Lately I've been facing criticism from two gals who are new CLC's
(took the one week course, now I have the initials after my name....you,
Dawn, are not doing it right!).
"What's the plan, Dawn?? Well, we're hookin' it and crookin' it!" Human
beings are messy, and new moms are literally leaking from just about every
body orifice (thank you Sheila Kitzinger for that amazing image). Only want
to nurse in the hospital? I'll sign on to help you. Want to pump instead of
feed at breast? Call me, cookie! Only one feeding at breast so he gets the
colostrum? That's fine. Bottle and breast? I'll be glad to help. I've never
seen what you've got? I know the basic principles (I am after all an IBCLC!)
and we can work from there.
Over and over, I remind myself that life is not all or nothing. I am not
here to be The Breastfeeding Police. (I sometimes remind newborn moms that
there ARE no breastfeeding police, but even on Day Two they don't always
believe me.) We're back to our LLL roots with "Meet the mother where she is"
-- and maybe she will walk along with you as you walk along with her. There
are always reasons behind these decisions. That's how I learned about
childhood sexual abuse and going back to work at 3 days postpartum and
women's hatred of their bodies. It's also how I learned that moms can make
different decisions with baby 2 or baby 3. Or come back and re-lactate. Or
send me their friend, because they don't want her to make the same bad
decision they did.
Over and over, I have found that success builds on success. Breastfeeding -
and probably all those lovely and messy hormones, and those lovely messy
babies! - hypnotizes us and draws us in, and suddenly we are in love.
I thank God for 25 years of helping moms breastfeed, and this area has lots
and lots of breastfeeding moms. More now than ever before. Somewhere "the
hundredth monkey" got it, and moms you would never imagine even giving it a
try, end up nursing a year or more. And the hcps are getting it too....I had
an ambulatory care nurse call me to help a mom who'd just had "her tubes
tied" ask me to come down and help a mom with a pump. "She's a recovering
drug addict you know, we've gotta keep that milk coming, it's helping her
stay clean." Wow!
And yesterday....the pediatrician threw a very elegant tantrum until the ENT
specialist came to clip a frenulum. The pedi called me just out of the OR
and told me about the tongue tie, and when she got the runaround from the
ENT, she called and asked me to "do an especially fine consult on this
one." And I did, and that baby went right onto that breast and sighed,
suckled and slept. Wahoo!
Dawn Kersula...getting all those CERPS together for my 15 year recert
I have so many extra, I should sell them on ebay! Can't get enough of those
rough and tumble LC get togethers!!
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