Nursing babies was my job for 3 years of my life. A job that I was really good at. Each of my boys made it to the 12 month mark exclusively on breast milk as their liquid nutrition.. None of them received a drop of formula. When I step back and think about this it makes me say "wow." My body that I am constantly waging war against was enough. My body produced life giving nutrition to 3 thriving boys. For that I am blessed and grateful.
For me nursing my babies was more than just nutrition. It was a time to dial down. A time exclusively just for me and my baby. A time to talk, sing, pray, and love on my precious child. To sit there and look into the eyes of a child who looked back at me with adoring eyes. This was a gift that only I was able to give them. The bonding time that I spent with each baby was worth more than its weight in gold. I guess this is one of the many reasons that they refer to breast milk as "liquid gold."
I think this chapter in my life is finished. It is so bittersweet. A year committed to breast feeding following 10 months of pregnancy (3 times back to back) has taken its toll. At times my job was hard, painful, tiring, and seemingly relentless. Looking back in my rear view mirror it was worth every single second of my time. The hundreds of hours that I logged feeding babies in my chair was some of the best spent time of my life. I love these boys that much. They were worth it.
