My mom has been a La Leche League Canada Leader for 20 years. My three siblings and I all breastfed until five years of age. At first I tandem nursed with my older sister and then with my younger sister. It is a special thing that we all shared.
I have one distinct memory of breastfeeding that I can recall. My mom said this happened when I was less than two years old! We were at an event where she and other mothers were trying to break the record for the most babies latched on at one time. I just remember being in a big room, with bright lights, and lots of mothers, babies and children. I was nursing with my older sister. We didn’t nurse together at the same time very often so I remember being a bit squished. I was feeling distracted and curious and very interested in the lights and people around me. I wanted to see what was going on, but also wanted to keep nursing.
I remember breastfeeding quite well. I loved it. I loved the daily routine of breastfeeding, listening to my mom’s breathing, her voice. It felt safe and comforting when my mom would stop everything to sit down and feed me herself. I remember the way the milk tasted. It had a sweet, satisfying taste, always the perfect temperature and texture. Breastfeeding was this wonderfully perfect thing that was so special because only my mom could provide it for me.
I have attended La Leche League meetings my whole life: first as a baby, then as a child and later as a teenager in my own house where my mom led meetings. When we got older we watched our aunt breastfeed our little cousins, also for years. Unlike most people my age, I have never found breastfeeding strange. I know about good latches, growth spurts, bed-sharing, and cluster-feeding. Breastfeeding is part of our family culture. It’s what we do and what we know. Thanks to La Leche League I feel very confident that I will breastfeed my babies when I become a mother someday.
Eden Heslett, 17
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