Beautiful Madhouse

Man I just love when I get that crazy warm happy feeling while nursing my babies.  These feelings are augmented by the release of hormones such as prolactin, which produces a peaceful, nurturing sensation that allows you to relax and focus on your child, and oxytocin, which promotes a strong sense of love and attachment between the two of you.  These love hormones are no joke!  This post in no way implies that breastfeeding is the only way these hormones are released.  Regular skin to skin contact with a formula fed baby will help to release oxytocin and promote bonding as well.  So go and get your hug on with your wee one.  Partners can increase their oxytocin levels as well by stimulatory parenting. Helping baby sit up or tickling and laughing with baby are good examples.  Increased oxytocin levels can reduce stress and anxiety.  Hell I’ll cheers to that.

When my almost 6-year-old daughter plays with her dolls she nurses them when they get hungry or fussy.  Funny because that’s what I do when my twin boys get hungry or fussy.  I’m not posting this to make any non-breast feeding mammas feel bad or say that I’m superior because of my choice to breastfeed.  I’m just really excited about the fact that my kids find the act of breastfeeding as such a normal part of our family life.  Our neighbor’s kid came over and stared in horror as I nursed one of my babies.  She stood wide-eyed and asked me “WHAT are you doing?” I realized that she had never seen a mother nurse her baby.  I found this extremely sad and alarming.  Any baby doll you purchase in the store comes with a bottle.  Remember all the outrage the breastfeeding baby doll from Spain caused? Why? What’s the big deal?  My kids would find nothing controversial or sensational about a baby doll that nursed.  They would look at a baby doll that comes with a bottle the same way.  Both are ways to feed a baby.  Bottle, breast, or both.  It’s crazy to me that  women need to fight to protect their rights to nurse in public.  Friends have been told that they should cover up or that what they were doing is disgusting.  Really? Feeding a baby is disgusting? Where the fuck did our society go wrong?  Our bodies were made to birth and feed babies.  I could go on for ever ranting but I won’t at this moment.  I just wanted to share the joy I had this morning watching my girls feed their dolls.

My boobs are always out.  They are more often out than in these days.  My new twin boys nurse constantly.  If you want to hang out with me you cannot be uncomfortable with me whipping out my boobs.  If you are, TOUGH. Don’t hang out with me then.  I try to be as discreet as possible but occasionally a nipple might peek out at you.  I’m just feeding my kid(s).  I’ve gotten pretty good at multitasking while nursing.  I saw a friend (male) that I hadn’t seen in a while and he gave me a huge hug while I was nursing one of my babies.  Neither him or his girlfriend standing behind him realized my boobs were out.  I had a blanket over Luke’s head. Hah.  I laugh just thinking about it.  I’ve hiked a mountain in the Adirondacks with Mia latched onto my boob.  Nursing can also be a heated topic among new moms.  I honestly don’t care how anyone else feeds their kid.  I hate the judgement.  It comes from both sides amazingly.  I EBF (exclusively breast-fed) my boys for 4 months.  Now at almost 6 months, I CONFESS, I give them formula sometimes.  Rocky was having some issues gaining weight.  My long green bean baby was 97th percentile for height and 2nd for weight. I could not produce any extra milk because I was nursing around the clock.  So I tried using a hyper lactating friend’s extra breast milk but she was already donating to another family with bigger supply issues than mine.  I felt bad asking her for 6 oz a day.  FYI, they have milk banks if anyone wants to go that route.  I wasn’t comfortable getting milk from a stranger.  A friend yes, a stranger no. Again to each their own. No judgement.  I’ve had people ask me in the grocery store if I breastfeed?  Why the heck do they care?  Would they judge me if I said no?  Geez.  It’s nuts how anyone thinks it’s their business.  Formula feeding or breast-feeding its your choice.  Of course breast is best but what if it doesn’t work out like you had hoped?  Should you be judged?  I feel like whatever route you choose you should be supported and respected.  I am lucky that the issues I’ve had with nursing were minimal and I have no guilt with my boys getting an occasional bottle of poison…I mean formula.  I  EBF Mia for 18 months, twins Birdie & Hazel nursed for 18 months & had formula occasionally, and I hope to nurse twins Rocco and Luke for 18 months as well.  I know many babies that were exclusively formula fed and are healthy and intelligent. I hate anyone that tries to make these moms feel bad for their decision to formula feed.  Anyone too far to the left or the right bothers me.  So if you have a problem with my boobs and nursing, TOUGH.  If you have a problem with my kid getting a bottle of formula, TOUGH.  So there.