I struggled to breastfed my son, but not my daughter. Poppy Belle latched on shortly after she was delivered via C-Section, and she breastfed until she was 14-months-old, at which point she decided she preferred a sippy cup. I was relieved; it took me six months to convince her to take a bottle, just in time, fortunately, for me to go back to working in the office. But I was also a little sad; my girl and I forged a tight bond during our breastfeeding days and I missed our special cuddle sessions.
Looking back, I think that being a second-time mom made breastfeeding easier. I believed in my mom superpowers. I was relaxed. I had an amazing network of people willing to support me, including other breastfeeding moms and the best lactation consultant ever (thank you, Freda!). I could text or e-mail Is this normal?! at pretty much any hour and someone would jump in to talk to me about cluster feeding, sympathize with a horrible pumping experience, or share that their babies had also ripped off the nursing cover in public (and yes, I would get over it, just like they did).
Poppy turned one last weekend, and our breastfeeding journey is winding down. I’ll continue to nurse her at night and in the morning for a while longer; I’m not ready to give up these bonding sessions just yet. Now more than ever, I treasure a sweet photo of Poppy nursing when she was about 2-months-old. In fact, many moms remember the time they spent breastfeeding with special photos. Check out these stunning photos of moms throughout the country breastfeeding their babies.