Day 1 | My Last Nursling
As every year I have published this project, 31 Days, 31 Stories, part of my story comes first. I do this to show everyone that I am part of these stories. In hopes that you all will see me be vulnerable with all of you and know that you are not alone in your sharing.
I am filled with a lot of emotion as I consider the possibility this may be my last year in this project on a personal level. Now, to be clear, I am not planning to wean anytime soon; but I do know that anything can happen and we could wean for any number of reasons.
One may think that I would be ecstatic. I could get my life back, as it were. I have been breastfeeding almost exclusively for almost nine years. Quite literally, my oldest will be nine in just over two short weeks.
To the outside world, I have given up so much for this journey. The ability to wear “normal clothes,” a bra completely (because why bother?), the ability to leave my babies more than a few short hours, sleep, so many things.
But I wouldn’t give these years back for anything in the world. I have been able to fill their tiny bellies, completely nourishing them from my own body, snuggle them close when they are scared or sad or weary of anything. I have been their comfort, their joy, their safe place. I have watched their quirks develop and their personalities show through. I have watched them succumb to the sleep in their eyes and drift into a blissful sleep.
Yes, the journey has been long. But it has been so, so worth it.
I will keep this story short and sweet as we begin our journey through these 31 Days of Breastmilk.
Over the next 31 days, you will read a wide array of stories, from nursing multiples to exclusively pumping, from next to no struggles to failure to thrive, from pumping for a surrogate baby to supplementing with donor milk. I hope somewhere in these stories, you can find a little piece of your own story and feel the comfort of knowing you are not alone. For we need a village, even if that village is online.
Welcome to the journey.
If you would like to participate in this project, I share stories every day this month and then plan to share one per week throughout the year. The remainder of the year, I also welcome stories of formula - for those stories matter too. Join the conversation in our facebook group, follow along through instagram and contact me here and we can discuss the details.
