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Home › Articles › Essays/Opinion › Magical Breastfeeding

Magical Breastfeeding

The Difference Between Loving and Tolerating Breastfeeding

By Ann Calandro

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How can it be that some mothers LOVE breastfeeding and other mothers tolerate breastfeeding "for the good of the baby"? Why is it that I hear moms frequently say, "I will have put in my 12 months next month, so how can I get this baby to wean?" Why do some pediatricians tell mothers, "Well Mom, you can quit now – you've done your time."? It sure sounds like breastfeeding is similar to serving a prison sentence.

What's different about the mothers who breastfeed because it's the right thing to do and the mothers who breastfeed because they love everything about it? Both are good mothers. Both give their babies the very best start – no question. But what makes the difference?

Abracadabra!
I think it is the magic. When I say this you may be thinking, "You're crazy." Or you may be thinking, "You're right!" There is something about breastfeeding that makes the world feel like a better place for some moms. This feeling of joy and love and closeness and warmth is exactly what some moms feel when they breastfeed. It is a sensuous feeling of pure exhilaration. No, it isn't sexual. It is different. It is like a beach lover sitting on the warm sand listening to the gentle waves of the ocean. It is like savoring a bite of your favorite ice cream. It is like being wrapped in a warm bear-hug by the person you love most in the world.

Caroline describes breastfeeding her daughter India this way, "Nursing for me is like a cup of tea. It gives me a boost when I'm tired, it calms me when I'm excited, and it allows me to reflect when my life has become 'crazy.'"

Magic! Holding a small baby or child that is part of you, who you have given the very best part of yourself to, and offering your warm sweet milk to this round-cheeked little angel is magic. The smell of this child is like a vanilla candle, awakening all your senses. The softness of his skin is like being enveloped in velvet. Looking at his smiling eyes as he nurses is like opening up a special gift and gazing on it for the very first time, even though you might nurse him many times each day. Getting up at night to feed is not a terrible experience when it is magical to cuddle your soft little son or daughter and feel the life- and love-giving milk flowing like a peaceful river. It is both powerful and empowering.

Suzanne, who breastfed two children, says, "The image that comes back to me the strongest is when the breastfeeding child looked up and into my eyes while nursing. Then she smiles, and there is the little pool of milk at the corner of her mouth. The love and gratitude that passes between the eyes of mother and child at that moment is the strongest and most magical of moments."

A Sparkle

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