I love breastfeeding my babies because I love the bonding time. I love feeling their skin against mine and having quiet time together that nobody but me gets to experience. However, I have noticed that every time I sit down to nurse my little one, I bring my phone with me. Or the iPad. Or the TV remote. I feel like I have to do something while I'm nursing. Maybe it's just that I'm so busy all day so since I'm already sitting down, not being productive, I think I deserve a chance to check in on Facebook or catch up on my DVR list. Whatever it is, I can't help but feeling a little hypocritical for boasting about the bonding aspects of nursing. I praise breastfeeding because I claim it is a bonding experience, yet I sit there ignoring my daughter while I surf the web on my phone.
So... I have started my own challenge. At least once a day while nursing, I will do nothing but look at, and talk to my precious little girl. I can't even imagine how much I will miss this when she is older, so I am going to force myself to soak it up as much as possible.
Now for the giveaway part! You must be a nursing mama to participate (if you're not, you wouldn't have any use for the prize anyway). I challenge you do the same as me. For at least 3 days, spend one nursing session a day doing nothing but talking to and looking at your baby/child. No phone, no TV, no Ipad, no staring into space thinking about everything you have to do, nothing! Of course this in on the honor system. Then, write a short (a couple sentences) summary of how it went and if you will continue to do it. The prize will be a pair of custom nursing pads from The Pampered Mama. You can pick the color and print and I will order it, pay for it and send it to you! I have a pair of these and love them!
Enter here to win!!
a Rafflecopter giveaway (Giveaway details: one entry per person. You must reside in the United States to win. You must be a follower of "Mama's Got Milk" to win. This giveaway is not sponsored by The Pampered Mama, I just love her products so I'm buying the pads as a prize. Each entry will be numbered in the order that they are received and I will use random.org to pick a winner)
I love staring into my lo's eyes, chatting with her, and/or rubbing her back/arms/legs/cheeks. We have little "conversations" and smile back and forth. In those moments, it is just us. With my first daughter, I had so many "just us" moments, but with this lo, I have so many other distractions and responsibilities. Our time together is constantly interrupted by my 3-year-old, and I don't discourage this because I want them to have a great relationship. In fact, my little one lights up when my oldest enters the room with her high-pitched "baby talk" and too-long hugs and kisses. Because of the hustle and bustle of every day life, I really appreciate the little moments where I can be truly present and focused on my lo. I feel like our bond is stronger because of these moments, and I feel that I am taking the time to enjoy and remember he infancy. After all, these moments are gone in the blink of an eye.
ReplyDeleteI try to do this at night right before I put Isaac to bed. I love the snuggles I get when it's just me and him in his room. I'm going to miss it so much when he weans.
ReplyDeleteI do this at nighttime. It really helps me reconnect with my daughter, especially since she's been fussy and teething lately. It helps me remember that she's not giving me a hard time, she's going through a hard time.
ReplyDeletewe already do this! i had already challenged myself to this when my husband and i decided that this is our last baby. :( i really am trying to make the most of every second we have together(especially when the 3 year old is napping!)
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