Comments on: Nursing Tales

By: Arlyn

Arlyn — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:02:40 +0000

Great post. Very thought provoking and not so polarized like the breast vs. bottle articles you see in Parenting Magazine and the like. As a mom who has nursed 4 kids and also holds to a high level of nutrition and home cooking, I share your surprise that many nursing moms dont segue into feeding healthy food when they wean. And also the part about nursing and eating “takeout and twinkies”…a dualistic situation indeed. Though its often easier said than done, I think many people are so intimidated by cooking that they dont even try. Yes, I agree it’s a bummer when I cook a healthy meal for my kids and one or more of them snubs it…but its still worth the effort. Here’s to hoping moms can support one another in these endeavors…cause we know we are what we eat!

By: Julie Steinberg

Julie Steinberg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 12:40:58 +0000

Thanks everyone for sharing your stories with me.

Judith – hope the baby arrived safe and sound. Enjoy every second.

Rachel, Leah, and Hannah – thank you for your posts. They are so positive, and I am glad to hear that I am not alone in my thoughts on this.

Beth, I wish I had met you back in my nursing days. The folks I met with from LL were not nearly as balanced or compassionate in their efforts with me. I am glad to hear that there is a more even keeled population, and that you are responsible for leading part of it. Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments and for giving me some new perspective.

By: Beth at Upper West Side Mom

Beth at Upper West Side Mom — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:56:45 +0000

“And the La Leche la lunatics held events down at the waterfront, chanting “breast is best” to confused bystanders like myself. I initially thought they were Krishnas, but there was no enlightenment there, just an angry political machine.”

Hi,

I am a La Leche League leader in Manhattan and I have no idea why everyone thinks we are all lunatics. I don’t wear tie dye (well only occasionally!), have hair down to my waist and berate women for not breastfeeding. In fact none of the La Leche League leaders I know do this or are lunatics . Yes, we are passionate about breastfeeding. Why else would we spend the time and effort to offer free mother to mother phone support and support meetings?

I actually called a La Leche League hot line a few month’s after I had weaned my son at 3 months because of recurrent mastitis and an abcess that would not drain. I had the most amazing supportive discussion with the leader manning the hot line for that day. She told me that each feeding I had given my son was a gift and that I should feel good about nursing him for as long as I did. I told her that if I had another baby I would make sure I came to a meeting.

3 1/2 years later I arrived at a La Leche League meeting with my 1 month old baby girl experiencing all of the same problem I had experienced with my son. I got the great advice and support from these women. They were able help me to solve all the problems that I was once again experiencing. The ones that my pediatrician, my OB, the breast surgeon and the lactation consultant could not help me with when I nursed my son. One of the things that made me feel so comfortable at that first meeting was how all the women there were totally non-judgemental about my decision to wean my son at 3 months. In fact they were less judgemental that I was.

La Leche League has probably done more than any other breastfeeding group to support and educate mothers and medical personal over the last 60 years than any other group out there.

It sounds like breastfeeding was an amazing life changing event for you. I am thrilled that you decided to nurse your children for as long as you could and I think this sentiment is shared by most if not all La Leche League leaders.

By: Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:09:46 +0000

When my daughter was born premature, I had been commuting from Brooklyn to Manhattan and there was a campaign to equate smoking to premature babies. Boy, did that hurt me, who’d never even inhaled. When my second child was born premature– and this time with medical concerns– I upgraded our family’s diet to organic dairy as well as fruits and vegetables, despite the added expense. Who knew what had caused our medical distress, but I was not taking any further chances with anything that was under my control. To this day, I’m more careful with my grocery choices for the home. The rest of the family might choose “junk food” out of the home, but I’ll not be their supplier.

By: Leah Aharoni

Leah Aharoni — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:42:27 +0000

Hi Julie,

First of all, I really enjoyed reading your post. I think, as mothers, we all try to do our best, by somehow feel that our best is just not good enough.

Fact is, we all have limited resources and our priorities are shaped by these limitations.

From reading your story, it sounds like you an amazing mother with no reason for guilty feelings.

By: Rachel

Rachel — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:45:45 +0000

Julie – this is such a great post. I, too, nursed both children (still nursing my second once a day), despite an initial inclination not to. And I love to spend hours in the kitchen preparing food for my family, including homemade baby food using veggies from our organic farm CSA share. Somehow it seems like such a basic expression of love to cook healthy food choices for people you love.

On top of working both a full-time job and a part-time job (and having an hour-long commute), I find it impossible to cook every night. If I did, I would never have time to PLAY with my children – and that is equally important in my opinion. So I try not to beat myself up when I stick a yogurt tube in my daughter’s lunch (better than a Twinkie, right?) or serve fish sticks (always with some veggies and fruits on the side) – but I do feel pangs of guilt every time.

By: Judith

Judith — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:17:06 +0000

Julie – I’m 9 months pregnant (and officially due tomorrow!). Your story is both inspiring, honest and VERY appreciated.
Thanks for sharing, Judith