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I’m still astounded at how many women come across the blog entries I posted a few years ago about our breastfeeding journey through exclusive pumping. These messages include stories of their own, many which sound similar to mine. They typically end with something like “I thought I was the only one, but then I read your blog and now I know I’m not alone.”
Guys, motherhood is lonely and isolating sometimes. If that little voice inside our heads wasn’t enough – you know, the one that reminds you of your faults, tells you you’re not good enough or that you’re failing at being a mom – the news and social media do a great job at telling us what we’re doing wrong or putting us in different camps according to parenting choices. But the truth is that there’s always going to be someone else who is struggling with exactly the same thing you are.
So in honor of World Breastfeeding Week (August 1-7), I thought I’d link to all my previous posts in one spot. This way, it’s easy to find the info about our breastfeeding issues and exclusive pumping journey:
Our full exclusive pumping story
What I wish I had known about breastfeeding
Five myths about exclusive pumping
What not to say to an exclusive pumper
I love WBW because it’s a time to really celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers and promote awareness about breastfeeding. But while breastfeeding can be wonderful, it’s a hard road for many. Or it just can’t happen at all for one reason or another.
Ultimately, I’m in the camp of fed is best. Caleb was fed formula for the two weeks of his life. We’ve been blessed with tons of donor milk since returning home with him and we’re so grateful. But I know that if our freezer is empty, there is a wonderful life-saving option in formula. And if we’re able to have another biological baby, I would love to have that special nursing relationship I wanted with Liam. But we also know that another EP journey would not the the right thing for our family. (I say “we” because it was as much of Jamie’s EP journey as it was mine since he shouldered many of Liam’s bottle feedings). No one should ever feel shame for how they feed their baby. Because being a mom is already freaking hard as it is.
I’m an open book when it comes to our breastfeeding struggles, TT/ULT diagnosis and revision, and my experience with pumping. Please don’t hesitate to comment below or e-mail me with questions. If you are currently pumping exclusively, whether by choice or circumstance, I want to let you know you’re not alone. This is a hard, but so rewarding, road you’re on and you’re totally rocking it. <3
Image is by Amanda McKinley Photography.
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