Mothering

Since I am mentally done with being pregnant my mind is constantly wandering to parenting. Thus the vaccine post. I am excited to start breast feeding as it to will be a new experience. I have heard everything from how it feels like shooting nails out of your boobs the first few days to how it is the deepest connection you will ever have with your child besides labor. Again "mothering" magazine had an excellent article written by a woman who lived in Mongolia during her young ones breast feeding days. The article besides being so hilarious was also about different cultural norms and how blessed she felt to live in the country for that reason.
Here is an excerpt:
"Testsgee had a different aproach. At the first murmur of discord, she would lift her shirt and start waving her boobs around enthusiastically, calling out, "Come here, baby, look what mama's got for you!" Not to be outdone, I adopted the same strategy. There we were, two mothers flapping our breasts like competing strippers trying to entice a client. If the grandparents were around, they'd get in on the act. The poor kids wouldn't know where to look- the reassuring fullness of their own mothers' breasts, granny's withered pancakes boasting its long experience, or the strange mound of flesh granddad was squeezing up in breast envy. Try as I might, I can't picture a similar scene at a La Leche League meeting."
I am so fortunate to have made a friend names Leslie in the last year who is a wonderful breastfeeding advocate. She started an entire section in the library devoted to breastfeeding and is a certified instructor. She is the town's Le Leche League as there is no actual group I know of. Today I was showing her the article and she was able to let me in of the fact that she nursed her younger until she was four. This made me ever so joyful as my sweet little niece was off the breast after about 2 weeks and my mom claims Vahida, just like herself just dried up (which usually just means something is up and you need to call your breast support specialist). The article had talked about nursing her son until he was done, which was about age 4 and how she could never have done that in her Canada home. I of course don't know how long I want to nurse, but I don't want to feel like I have to follow the cultural norm and if Leslie nursed until her babe was 4, which is not the norm around here, I feel I can too if it happens. She said it wasn't all the time, just before bed and random needed times and not out and about, but "As you have more kids and get older, you get bolder about what you want to do."

In addition to nursing I also listened to a podcast of Speaking of Faith where the subject was play. The interview was fantastic. One thing I really enjoyed was the speakers comments on how rough and tumble play teaches empathy and trust, because you learn what will hurt people and what won't and you use your judgement if you want to continue to play. He said people in jails for brutal crimes rarely had these experiences as a child. Here is a cool set of photographs in a small slide show with the speaker talking about play.
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/play/audiogallery/soundseen.shtml#slideshow

I realize I have been talking to my baby in my head for some time now, even though the child is not me. I guess because we are sharing one body I think it can hear my thoughts. Maybe I will think the same thing when we are nursing, but I am sure I will probably start talking out loud as soon as my sunshine arrives.