Breastfeed

As I breastfed my baby to sleep today, I became lost in my love for him. I stared at his face, his fat little cheek, his completely relaxed body, and his eyelashes. I remembered the three other sweet babies that I had nursed to sleep. I felt, for approximately the nine millionth time, grief for women who miss this mother-baby unity for any reason.

When I birthed and breastfed my first baby, I had a lot to learn about breastfeeding, mothering, and God. I suffered as I had never suffered before. Although blindly away from the Catholic faith, the Holy Spirit swooped in and poured amazing grace upon me. I was stripped of my preconceived ideas of myself and lead to the truth of my vocation as wife and mother.

While struggling in those early days, I found La Leche League. I received mother-to-mother support and met other mothers who also wanted to mother their babies through breastfeeding. After many years as a Leader, I recently retired from LLL. I am very grateful that the Founders, seven Catholic women, paved the way for other mothers like me to learn the womanly art of breastfeeding.

Here is Pope John Paul II's Address on Breastfeeding.

Among the many benefits of breastfeeding, I would like to include this. Breastfeeding is a beautiful conduit of God's love and grace.