Breastfeeding My West: An act of love

Breastfeeding is how my baby and I plug into each other, creating a connection through which his body, mind, heart and soul are all fed. If he is hungry, our connection provides him sustenance. If he is tired, our connection lulls him. If he is distressed, our connection soothes him. If he is discomforted, our connection eases the discomfort. If he is ill, our connection is all the medicine he needs. If he is over stimulated, the rest of the world fades away and disappears as he becomes lost in our connection. If he is joyful, our connection sets the stage for the dance of interaction between our faces.

It is spiritual. It is practical. It is so much between my baby and I. It is a physical experience to compliment, reflect and facilitate a magnificent, bonded relationship. To be able to experience such a physical reaction to his cry with the letdown of milk and the physical discomfort of being swollen with longing with the engorgement that comes from separation is relieving and cathartic, providing a physical outlet for so much that exists between us. I give and he receives but without his interactive presence and need I would have nothing to give. It requires of us both and from it we reap rewards that transcend what anyone else can see and what can be read on a list of benefits.

As he latches, a true and total peace washes over his face. In that moment and those that follow he wants for nothing, his every need met. The moments preceding are forgotten and no experience outside the current exchange between us matters or even seems to have ever mattered. Our breastfeeding time together forces me to carve out a sanctuary for the two of us, insulated from the agenda of the day and the demands of life. Here in this cloud we float together, warm and cozy, insulated from the storms of the world.

From any pain, challenges or obstacles springs only elevated devotion, dedication and investment in this harborer of my love returned to me, my future. You are worth every ounce of this miraculous part of me I give to you, this gift of breast milk.