Of course when I was pregnant with my first baby I was told about all the great health benefits of breastfeeding. There was never a doubt in my mind I would breastfeed and I was lucky to have a fairly easy time of it with both of my kids. I don’t think I realized, though, how incredibly convenient breastfeeding is. With my first baby, more often than not, I took the time to get comfortable in a chair, propped up with pillows, to nurse. With my second baby I seem to be so much busier (go figure!). Being able to nurse on the go has been immensely useful.
When Emma was little I could nurse her in one arm while doing something else with the other,- cooking, reading to my other daughter, changing the laundry. Sometimes I would nurse her in the moby wrap, but usually I just held her in my arms. When Emma started packing on the pounds and her thighs became too big to hold easily in one hand I knew I needed some assistance.
I bought an ergo baby carrier after reading rave reviews about it. I particularly liked how supposedly easy it was to nurse in. When I first brought it home I looked at the instructions quickly, but didn’t see anything about how to nurse while wearing it. I thought it wouldn’t be too hard to figure out when I needed to. After all I had managed to figure out how to nurse in the moby wrap fairly easily.
Our first occasion to try nursing in the ergo occurred in Chapters, maybe the second or third time I wore the ergo. I was in the children’s section with my older daughter, looking at books, when Emma started that telltale snuffling whimper and tried burying her face as low down into my shirt as she could. Great! A chance to put the ergo to the test. I immediately realized I had absolutely no idea what to do. When Emma had needed to nurse while she was in the moby wrap I put her sideways across my body, so I tried that with the ergo. That was definitely not what I was supposed to do. Emma ended up with her chubby little legs hanging out of the side and her head completely wedged against my chest. Being so close to my breast without being able to nurse made her frantic and she started flopping like a fish in the bottom of a boat. At this point she was basically stuck in all the straps and I had to call for backup (Grandpa was fortunately nearby) to undo the buckles of the ergo. Freed from the tangle Emma could finally have her snack uninterrupted, but I received more than a few questioning, concerned glances from other parents.
I have since watched videos on utube showing how to nurse in the ergo. It’s quite easy when you simply loosen the arm straps to lower baby to nipple height. With a little practice I think we’ve mastered the art of nursing in the ergo. Emma can even nurse while I’m mucking stalls!
I don’t think a single day has gone by since Emma’s birth that I don’t mention how convenient it is to be able to pop out a breast anywhere, anytime, whenever Emma is hungry. On a plane, on vacation, on a hike, in the shower, in the pool, while shopping, at a wedding, at the market-you name it we’ve probably nursed there. No preparation required, always the right temperature, no delay (unless you’re trying to figure out the ergo). In my opinion, the convenience of nursing is one of the greatest reasons why breast is best!
I breastfed my youngest exclusively until recently and even though I keep saying we are done with nursing we keep going back to it each and every night. During the day he couldn't be bothered with nursing but at night he snuggles right up to me and still roots for it! I keep saying it's laziness on my part because who wants to prepare a bottle at 2 am but now instead of laziness I can spin it as more convenient, hehehe.
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