little feet, big sky

I went to the breastfeeding support group at the Pump Station on Vine this afternoon and was so glad that I did. I don’t think Spice and I are really having too much trouble, other than the constant spitting up and my worrying that it was something I ate, but it was so nice to be around other new moms going through the same things. More than I realized it would be.

The class at the Vine location is Mondays and Tuesdays at 1pm for 0-4 month-olds. The first class is free; after that, they’re $15/each. The women seemed quite diverse and there’s a lactation consultant running the meeting to answer any questions, etc. I have to admit, she did a good job of answering questions textbook-style and then opening the conversation for everyone else to offer tips or advice. It was great for encouragement and support, especially for some of the women who seemed to think their problem (ie. nursing constantly, milk supply, etc.) was theirs alone.

Lactation consultant Diane Wiessinger offers the following analogy: take two magnets and hold them far apart. There is no tension between them. This is similar to a detached style of bottle-feeding. Now, stick the magnets together. Again, there is no tension. This represents an attached style of breastfeeding. Now hold the magnets a little distance apart, but don’t let them snap together. There is a huge tension between them. It’s exhausting to keep the magnets at that close-but-not-too-close distance and you’re glad when you’re finally allowed to keep them farther apart. This is what it means to breastfeed like a bottle-feeder, she says. It’s hard work, a kind of martyrdom, not a kind of joy.

Making Breastfeeding Harder