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Nursing's Got the Better of Me
The Not-so-glamorous Side of Breastfeeding
By Jenn Director Knudsen
I could no longer imagine backing out of breastfeeding. What made me realize I loved nursing was holding Alyssa close to my body and watching her drink from it. Sustaining a life solely on food my body produces is a very powerful notion, one that's helped keep me committed to breastfeeding.
I don't credit endorphins released during breastfeeding for causing me to fall in love with the process, as I feel the same about nursing before, during and after each session. I believe my love of nursing has nothing to do with hormones and has everything to do with snuggling with Alyssa each and every time we nurse – which, these days, at 8 months of age, is still six times a day.
Soon, my family and I are off to a sunnier climate for vacation. I called my OB/GYN to request he write me a fourth prescription for dicloxacillin, just in case the redness returns to my breast, followed by flu-like symptoms.
"You should have a standing order," his nurse joked. Not funny.
I can no longer wear a bra, as even a loose-fitting sleeping bra restricts my tissue. I always keep a fresh head of green cabbage in the refrigerator and a bottle of antibiotics in my bathroom drawer. I take a capsule of the dietary supplement lecithin, which helps keep clogged ducts at bay, every morning with breakfast. And I'm constantly handling myself; at the first hint of a blocked duct, I massage my breast whether at the mall, or in the privacy of my own home.
There is nothing like nursing, and I'm going to miss it terribly when it's over. Alyssa's first birthday will be here before I know it.
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