Accomplishments

This week, Baby Lovely (who also goes by the nom de plume A.G.) will be six months old. Later this week I'll do another post with more about that, but this one is about how in the last six months I have achieved what, to me, is one of the biggest accomplishments of my life.

For the past six months (well, 15 if you count the time she was incubating) I have been able to provide her with all of her nutrition. I have successfully breastfed my child for six months, and I'm ridiculously proud of this fact. When she was born I thought I could be proud of myself for having an unmedicated birth, like I had hoped. I have learned that a few hours of labor are nothing compared to the trials of breastfeeding. For something that is so natural, there were a lot of times when it seemed downright impossible. I'm proud that I made this decision and have been able to do it this long. I'm proud that I fought through a battle with mastitis that was most likely the sickest I have ever been. I'm proud that on days when I was nursing my daughter in the back of the car while everyone I was with was eating lunch or being social, I stuck with it, even though it might have been easier to make a bottle and be with my friends.

I know breastfeeding isn't for everyone. I know that a lot of people try, and aren't successful. I realize that a lot of people have to overcome a lot more obstacles than I have. There have been a lot of things I have tried to do, and failed. (Anyone ever see me attempt to to swim? Or remember my desire to run a 10K? About that...) I know that this can be a very controversial subject, but this isn't about controversy. I firmly believe the best mothers are happy mothers, and doing something that makes you miserable, whether because you don't want to be doing it or you aren't able to because of physical limitations, isn't worth it. You know what though? That doesn't make me any less proud of what I have accomplished, because to me, this may be my greatest accomplishment yet.