Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe’s Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today’s post is about the importance of breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today’s carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Breastfeeding came naturally to me.

Like home birth, I consider breastfeeding primal, sacred, natural and safe.

To me, there is nothing more natural in the world than allowing our female bodies to do what they are designed to do. And an infant drinking the milk of it’s mother – human and animal alike – is divine!

While pregnant, I planned on nursing.

Not because I had read any specific book or had a special piece of advice. I just knew it was the right thing to do – the healthiest thing to do.

My grandmother nursed her three children, and my mother breastfed me, but only up until the point when she went back to work full time. I was six weeks old. My dad told me she tried to pump and store, but her supply decreased too much to continue. He commented on the different smell my poop took on after switching to formula.

While my fiance and I were already planning on my not returning to work, the knowledge of my mother’s experience intensified my desire to nurse full time and long term.

I tried pumping my breast milk, first with an automatic and then a manual hand pump.

Neither worked that well for me, and not that it really mattered. Ella would not take a bottle. Not ever. She has always despised rubber nipples, no matter which kind I tried. She wouldn’t take pacifiers either, which I’ve always considered awesome.

Giving birth at home provided Ella and I a great strong start to our nursing relationship, as I wrote in yesterday’s post about home birth’s positive affect on breastfeeding.

Our relationship continued to grow as a result of breastfeeding; the bonding that has taken place between our soul-to-soul communication is priceless.

Nursing not only nourishes Ella, it soothes her when she’s upset, and has provided us with some of our first laughs together.

As a stay at home nursing mom, Ella knows I am always here for her in the most intimate of ways. I believe this is building a strong foundation of safety and trust. She is a bright, strong and confident child.

The day she was born, we began breastfeeding.

And that first night, we began bed-sharing, which made night time nursing so easy. When Ella woke, I woke, and as she ate, we both gently fell back to sleep. I never felt exhausted due to lack of sleep.

Although my family never really discussed breastfeeding, (other than asking me if I was planning on nursing and supporting my decision) I think the extent to Ella and I’s breastfeeding relationship has been very beneficial. I take pride in nursing Ella, and hope my younger cousins learn from us.

• Sylko @ Chaotic Mama—Breastfeeding Carnival: Importance of Breastfeeding
• Sara @ The Covered Wagon—Nursing a Food Allergic Child
• Shelly @ Lousy Mom—Importance of breastfeeding
• Timbra @ Bosoms & Babes—The best non-decision I ever made
• Shary @ Mama Fish—Why Breast Milk is Best
• Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl—I Breastfeed For Me
• Lauren @ Hobo Mama—Why breastfeeding is important
• Kate @ KateIsFun—The Importance of Breastfeeding
• Kaitlin Rose @ Bring Birth Home—Breastfeeding Came Naturally
• Brooke @ Milk Maid Mamma—Why I Chose to Breastfeed
• Lexi @ Life as a Mommy—Special Bonds
• Whitney @ According to Waddlebug:The (Un)Balancing act of Motherhood—Importance of Breastfeeding
• Natasha @ naturalurbanmama—Importance of Breastfeeding:X-men and Faberge Shampoo
• Shelly @ Lousy Mom—Wheat allergies and working
• And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s Blog today is Jen Karsbaek—Breastfeeding Helps Me Love My Son