Family History of Birth & Breastfeeding
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As many of my readers know, I am deeply involved and intrigued with the world of birth and breastfeeding. I work as a birth and postpartum doula and I am also a private breastfeeding counselor. I am certified through DONA. I have enough hours and education to apply for the IBLCE exam to become a board certified lactation consultant. I have two children of my own. I had my first child in a hospital two months after turning 18 years old. I had my second child ten years later in my living room in the water. I have breastfed children for over 3 years of my life. I am currently expecting my third baby.
I was thinking tonight, with how big of a role birth and breastfeeding play in my life, people must assume that I come from an amazing history of holistic women. I wonder if others envision my family tree full of empowered birth, successful breastfeeding, and attachment parenting?
My mom has a vertical scar from her past cesarean. I remember realizing what it was when I was around 6 years old. That is also the last time I remember seeing it. We never talked about it. We never discussed breastfeeding. We talk about things like the weather. I am her only child.
My mother's mom had five children. Due to the Rh factor, her last child died when she was about 1 year old. This is all I know about her birth and breastfeeding experience. I think she may have mentioned not making milk once, but I cannot remember. She does vocalize how disgusting it is when women breastfeed infants over a few months old, especially in public.
My father's mom had four children. She reports a good experience with her doctor who not only delivered all of her babies, but remained their family physician until retirement. She doesn't find it too awkward that I have had a baby at home as when her older sister was having children, the doctor still came out to your house to help with delivering the baby. She reports that when she took her first child home she tried for a few days to feed him, but he was not getting anything and she was starving him to death. For that reason, she switched to formula and used formula for all subsequent babies without trying breastfeeding again as she doesn't make enough milk.
I have a cousin who firmly believes that she "doesn't make milk because grandma didn't" and all of her babies were formula fed with propped bottles.
I know that at least two of my aunts breastfed, but I don't know how long they nursed. I wish I could explain in more detail about the history of birth and breastfeeding in my family, but we don't talk about these things. I wish I could offer all of the wonderful stories that the women in my family might have had with natural birth or breastfeeding success, but I don't know any.
I was thinking tonight, with how big of a role birth and breastfeeding play in my life, people must assume that I come from an amazing history of holistic women. I wonder if others envision my family tree full of empowered birth, successful breastfeeding, and attachment parenting?
My mom has a vertical scar from her past cesarean. I remember realizing what it was when I was around 6 years old. That is also the last time I remember seeing it. We never talked about it. We never discussed breastfeeding. We talk about things like the weather. I am her only child.
My mother's mom had five children. Due to the Rh factor, her last child died when she was about 1 year old. This is all I know about her birth and breastfeeding experience. I think she may have mentioned not making milk once, but I cannot remember. She does vocalize how disgusting it is when women breastfeed infants over a few months old, especially in public.
My father's mom had four children. She reports a good experience with her doctor who not only delivered all of her babies, but remained their family physician until retirement. She doesn't find it too awkward that I have had a baby at home as when her older sister was having children, the doctor still came out to your house to help with delivering the baby. She reports that when she took her first child home she tried for a few days to feed him, but he was not getting anything and she was starving him to death. For that reason, she switched to formula and used formula for all subsequent babies without trying breastfeeding again as she doesn't make enough milk.
I have a cousin who firmly believes that she "doesn't make milk because grandma didn't" and all of her babies were formula fed with propped bottles.
I know that at least two of my aunts breastfed, but I don't know how long they nursed. I wish I could explain in more detail about the history of birth and breastfeeding in my family, but we don't talk about these things. I wish I could offer all of the wonderful stories that the women in my family might have had with natural birth or breastfeeding success, but I don't know any.
2 comments:
I too wish I had more info on my family history in detail. I remember my maternal grandma speaking of breastfeeding until my mom started solid food and doing a form of EC (of course she had a different term for it). On the paternal side, past history birth is normal and painful and babies come in multiples. My great, great grandma was a "homebirth midwife" As for my generation, I am considered the "freak" since I homebirth, breastfeed and CD. I fly my "freak flag" high and proud and hope my daughters do the same! You go mama!
What's wonderful is that you are rewriting your family history. Your daughter will be able to say, "Well MY mom did . . . " and others in your family can point to you. You're doing a beautiful thing for those around you.
I'm so lucky to have my mother. She breastfed all of us exclusively for 1 year each (she claims we self weaned). She had three natural births in a hospital. She went to 44 weeks, 43 weeks, and 42 weeks and had her water broken each time but no other interventions. She birthed 3 huge babies, and because of her, I trusted my body when I went overdue and I trusted that I could birth a big baby. I wish everyone could have a role model like her. Neither of my grandmothers breastfed, and my maternal grandmother had at least one "twilight birth." I think it's awesome how it only takes one person to start to change the family history---YOU rock.
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