If there is one thing I have come to understand, with help and stories from all my mommy friends, it is the importance of flexibility. It is unrealistic to expect everything to go as planned or pictured in your head, so as a parent you must be willing to accept any situation that arises, make the best decisions you can with the information you have at the time, and GO WITH THE FLOW.I think this starts as soon as you get pregnant. I remember being quite surprise at how it "felt" to be pregnant. I'm not sure what I was thinking it would be like but feeling the "fullness" as soon as I did was unexpected. I expect this to get even more interesting as we proceed through the pregnancy, and of course through the birthing process.
One of the first tasks we are handed as mother, though, is the responsibility of nourishing our children. Fresh Milk is a collection of short stories witnessing the experiences of breastfeeding from a quite diverse group of women. Their stories vary greatly from elation to frustration, from the (shockingly) erotic to the terrifying, and honestly there are one or two disturbing/controversial tales in there as well.
This is not a "guide" to breastfeeding. Instead, for me, it is permission to feel whatever I personally WANT to feel about breastfeeding. It gives me the freedom to make the choices that are right for me and our baby without the guilt of other people's words or judgments nagging at my conscience. And it gives me the right to change my mind, without having to explain to anyone, if what we originally decide does not work for us.
The act of nourishing your child is a deeply intimate matter, no matter how you go about it. This, at least for me, is something to look forward to.
Fresh Milk gave me perspective on the subject I had not considered before, and for that I am happy I read it, even if parts did make me a bit uncomfortable. I reserve judgment. To each her own.
I give it 4 out of 5 contractions.
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