Breastfeeding Power!

I am coming off of a super duper bad flu, so when I read this blog post this morning, I was convinced I was seeing things due to my post-flu haze. A Woman With Bottle-Feeding Guilt

I'm sure I could be considered nuts by some for being pregnant and nursing for 9 years straight, but when I became a mother I realized that my children are incapable of taking care of themselves and it my job as their mother to provide the best possible care for them. And breastfeeding is absolutely hands down one of the best things any mother can do for their child!

I was going to respond by commenting on the blog, mostly because there were suprisingly few comments against the blog. Instead I came across this woman's comment and her Blog Response.
Great Job, T!

I'm selfish and obviously spoiled by not working outside of the home. There are a lot of things we're missing out on monetarily. My van broke down and we can't run out and get a new one! (This one sucks for sure). We don't have a giant house, although it would be lovely. I really really really wanted to take Jeremiah to Ireland for his birthday this year. A couple composition notebooks had to suffice, I guess.

Breastfeeding is never easy, but after breastfeeding four children, I've had every 'problem' in the book. I had a very small baby who seemed to not be gaining enough weight (I just nursed her more), I had a baby who had awful newborn rashes (I cut out all tomatoes for a couple weeks, she cleared up, never had any other problems), I had a colicky, gassy baby who cried for hours straight (I nursed her on demand FOREVER and got lots of help) and I had a GIGANTIC 11 pound newborn everyone, including our pediatrician told me I'd never have enough milk to sustain his growth (at 18 months old he's heavier than his 4 year old sister, and still nursing).

Until this year when we were hit with a outbreak of flus and ear infections, my kids have been the healthiest kids I've ever known. My six year old daughter was 2 1/2 before she ever had a cold AND has never had an ear infection. I always think of her as my super baby, fueled by the milk I made for her with my body.

I know they say, 'To each their own',and I hear 'Mind your own business' even more, but please do not influence pregnant mothers to forgo breastfeeding for formula feeding just because it's too hard. It's not hard, it's enlightening. It's stretching yourself to do things you never thought possible. It's working the hardest you can for the tiny person most important to you in life. It's putting someone else's needs before your own. It's the act of creating life and nourishing it with your own body. What could be more fufilling than that?