Hi! I’m Nicole. Thank you for visiting my little spot on the web! I hope you find what you need here – a tip, an answer to a problem, or even just a little encouragement. If you’re brand new to breastfeeding, my Start Here page is super helpful.
Let me tell you about myself. I’m a mom with four sons – three biological and one bonus son (I don’t like saying “stepson”). I nursed the ones I gave birth to, but for different lengths of time. Yeah, I nursed a toddler. I’m one of THOSE moms 🙂
I love babies! Who doesn’t? These precious little gifts pull our heartstrings and agitate us – all at the same time. I also enjoy witnessing the bond between a mom and her child. I feel an (admittedly weird) bond when I see a mom nursing her child. To me, it’s like we’re unspoken sisters in this breastfeeding battle – and friends, sometimes it is a BATTLE!
Some moms make it look easy, and some babies really do make it easy; however, that’s not usually the case. As much as I loved breastfeeding my children, I’ve never had one who made it easy. Each baby presented me with a different challenge. There were plenty of times when I needed advice and encouragement. And I would have loved advice from a mom who’s been there.
Just A Mom
I have to confess, I worried about starting a breastfeeding website considering I’m not a lactation consultant; but this is where my heart lies. The fact that I’m not a lactation consultant is just icing on the cake!
Don’t get me wrong, I have the highest respect and admiration for lactation consultants! In no way do I want this site to replace lactation consultants for you, or keep you from seeking lactation advice from a trained professional. Lactation consultants do a great work in this world.
There’s a huge need for more LC’s; unfortunately, women don’t use their services anywhere near as often as they should. If I can fill in the gap a bit, my goal is met.
Because there’s also a need for women like me. Just moms. Moms who’ve been through it a few times. Moms who used the products, tried the tactics, cried real tears of frustration, and now want to save other moms from just a little of their pain.
My Stand
People naturally tend to take a very hard stance on issues. We seem to believe that if you’re for one thing, then you must be against the other. Breastfeeding is no different – in fact, I’d say it’s one of those hot topics where tempers can flare fast.
Let me be very honest here: I’m pro-breastfeeding. But I became a formula-feeding mother when I was diagnosed with cancer. I had to stop nursing my first baby when he was 4 months old.
I felt the stigma, the one we’re not “supposed” to have. And I felt pressure from a few other breastfeeding mothers to do something, anything to get breast milk to my child. I felt guilty for not breastfeeding.
Then I realized that even though breast milk is the best, baby formula can be an acceptable alternative. In no way do I ever want to take a hard-line stance on breastfeeding. The benefits for everyone are amazing. The bonding is unparalleled. It involves less clean up (and I really hate doing dishes). At the same time, I readily acknowledge that formula is nourishing too. I’m not kidding, it really is!
I’d love it if every mother could and would nurse her child. More realistically, I’d love it if we can all just set aside the “booby battle” and offer a little grace and love to any mother who is just trying to take care of her kid. That’s my hard stance.
Nursing the Baby
With Nursing the Baby, I hope to help make breastfeeding a little easier for you. You’re going to find useful how-to articles, troubleshooting articles, and breastfeeding chitchat. I want to be an encouragement to you – coming from personal experience instead of the sterile, medicinal feel that sometimes comes with *official* lactation advice.
My site is not about replacing professionals, shaming others, or activist propaganda. I’m not into any of that, and it won’t be reflected here. I merely want to save moms a little bit of the pain and frustration I had to overcome.
If you have a breastfeeding question or concern and can’t find anything about it on this site, please contact me and I’ll do my best to get that information available for you.
I wish you and your baby much success and happiness, now and in the future!
